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ANTHON'S: SERIES OF CLASSICAL WORKS 

FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 



In presenting the volumes of this series, as far as it has 
been completed, to the notice of the public, the subscribers 
beg leave to say a few words respecting its general features, 
and the advantages that are to result from it both to students 
and instructers. 

The plan proposed is to give editions of all the authors 
usually read in our schools and colleges, together with such 
elementary and subsidiary works as may be needed by the 
classical student either at the commencement, or at particu- 
lar stages, of his career. 

The editions of the Classical authors themselves will be 
based on the latest and most accurate texts, and will be ac- 
companied by English commentaries, containing everything 
requisite for accurate preparation on the part of the student 
and a correct understanding of the author. The fear enter- 
tained by some instructers, lest too copious an array of notes 
may bribe the student into habits of intellectual sloth, will 
be found to be altogether visionary. That part of the series 
which contains the text-books for schools must, in order to 
be at all useful, have a more extensive supply of annotations 
than the volumes intended for college lectures ; and when 
these last make their appearance, the system of commenting 
adopted in them will not fail to meet with the approbation 
of all. 



ANTHON'S SERIES OF CLASSICAL WORKS. 



Letters of Recommendation — continued. 



From Jeremiah Day, D.D., LL.D., 

President of Yale College, at New- 
Haven, Conn. 

...... / estimate highly the impor- 
tance of furnishing for our schools and 
colleges accurate and neat editions of the 
ancient Classics ; and I am much pleas- 
ed with the general appearance and typ- 
ographical execution of the specimens 

which you have given us It would 

be presumptuous in one so little conver- 
sant with the fair fields of elegant litera- 
ture to undertake to pass sentence on the 
finely-wrought productions of so accom- 
plished a scholar as Professor Anthon. 
.... His works have a reputation al- 
ready -too well established to need or to 
receive additional value from any recom- 
mendation which I can give 

Jeremiah Day. 

From the Rev. B. Hale, D.D., Pres- 
ident of Geneva College, at Gene- 
va, N. Y. 

Your object " to furnish accu- 
rate and uniform editions of Classical 
authors, read in colleges and schools, ac- 
companied by a useful body of commen- 
tary, 'maps" c,-c, is a very useful one, 
and highly deserving of the public pat- 
ronage, and no one, in our country, is 
more competent to the editorial supervi- 
sion of suck an undertaking than Pro- 
fessor Anthon. It is fortunate for the 
cause of Classical learning in our coun- 
try, that so learned and enterprising a 
scholar has been brought into co-opera- 
tion with publishers so enterprising. 

So far as I have examined the works 
above mentioned, they appear to me ex- 
ceedingly well adapted to their end, and 
to do credit both to the editor and the 
publishers. We have specified these ed- 
itions in the requirements for admission 
to this college. Benjamin Hale. 

From the Rev. Joseph Penney, 
D.D., President of Hamilton Col- 
lege, at Clinton, N. Y. 
/ have examined with much interest 
and attention Dr. Anthon's editions of 
the ancient classics so far as published by 
you. I think there can be but one opin- 
ion as to the merit of these works, and 
the advantage to our country of so noble 
an enterprise. It is not only honoured 
by the learning of the editor, and the 
ability and taste of the publishers, but 
directly and greatly benefited in the vital 
interest of the education of our youth. 



We possess no means of sound mental 
discipline and cultivated taste that can 
supersede the relics of Greece and Rome ; 
and thus to enrich them to the inquiring 
mind, and to adorn them to the eye of 
our studious youth, is a service not like- 
ly to be appreciated as it deserves except by 
those who have toiled through the crowd- 
ed and careless page of former days. I 
earnestly hope that you may be encour- 
aged greatly to extend these labours. 
Joseph Penney. 



From the Rev. J. M. Mathews, 
D.D., Chancellor of the New-York 
University. 

Professor Anthon has rendered an 
important service to the cause of learn- 
ing in this country by his editions of the 
various Classics ; and I am gratified to 
see that your valuable press is employed 
in furnishing them to the public. 



J. 



Mathews. 



From the Rev. D. M'Conaughy, 
D.D., President of Washington 
College, at Washington, Penn. 

The typographical execution 

is correct and handsome, the binding sub- 
stantial, the notes copious and valuable. 
All agree, that it is not much reading, 
but thorough reading, ivhich secures 
knowledge and makes the scholar. To 
this purpose your edition of the classics 
is eminently adapted. If well employed 
by students and instructers, they cannot 
fail to make accurate and well-instructed 
scholars ; and must render the study of 
Classic authors more interesting and 
more profitable than it has generally been. 
I hope that you will find extensive pat- 
ronage. D. M'Conaughy. 

From the Rev. Alonso Potter, 
D.D,, of Union College, Schenec- 
tady, N. Y. 

I have had occasion to exam- 
ine these editions with some care, and, it 
would be superfluous to add, with great 
pleasure. The reputation of Professor 
Anthon for learning and critical skill, 
and the singular success with which he 
adapts his labours to the wants of the 
student, are too well known and too gen- 
erally appreciated to need any recom- 
mendation. It is proper, however, to 
add that these volumes will be used in 
our classes, and are held in the highest 
esteem. Alonso Potter. 



ANTHON S SERIES OF CLASSICAL WORKS. 



Letters of Recommendation — continued. 



From the Rev. E. Nott, D.D., Pres- 
ident of Union College at Sche- 
nectady, N. Y. 

The furnishing of our schools and 
colleges with accurate and uniform edi- 
tions of the Classical authors in use, 
accompanied by a useful body of com- 
mentary, maps, illlustrations, cfc., is an 
undertaking worthy alike of commenda- 
tion and of patronage. The competency 
of Professor Anthonfor the editorial su- 
pervision assigned him, is well known to 
me. The whole design meets my entire 
approbation, and you are quite at liberty 
to make use of my name in the further- 
ance of its execution. 

Very respectfully, 

Eliphalet Nott. 

From the Rev. F. Wayland, D.D., 

President of Brown University at 

Providence, R. I. 

1 have not been able, owing to the pres- 
sure of my engagements, to examine the 
above works with any degree of accuracy. 
I however beg have to thank you for the 
volumes, and cheerfully bear testimony 
to the distinguished scholarship of their 
editor. No classical scholar of our 
country enjoys a higher reputation, and 
I know of no one in whose labours more 
decided confidence may be reposed. 
Yours truly, 

F. Wayland. 



From the Rev. John P. Durbin, 
A.M., President of Dickinson Col- 
lege at Carlisle, Penn. 

For some months past my attention 
has been directed to the series of Classi- 
cal works now in the course of publication 
from your press, edited by Professor An- 
than. I can ivith confidence recommend 
them as the best editions of the several 
works which have appeared in our coun- 
try, perhaps in any country. Themat- 
ter is select, and the notes are copious 
and clear 



Respectfully, 

J. P. Durbin. 



From Thomas R. Ingalls, Esq., 
President of Jefferson College at 
St. James, Louisiana. 
I have examined them with atten- 
tion, and have no hesitation in saying 
that I prefer them to any books I have 
seen for the schools for which they are in- 



tended. The editions by Dr. Anthon 
seem to me to supply, in a very judicious 
manner, what is wanting to the student, 
and cannot fail, I should think, to aid in 
restoring Classical studies from their 
unhappily languishing condition. 
Your obedient servant, 

Tho. R. Ingalls. 

From C. L. Dubuisson, A.M., Presi- 
dent of Jefferson College at Wash- 
ington, Miss. 

I have examined with some care the 
first five volumes of Anthon 's Series of 
Classical Works. They are such as I 
should expect from the distinguished ed- 
itor. The "Horace" and " Sallust" 
of this gentleman have long been known 
to me as the very best books to be placed 
in the hands of a student. As a com- 
mentator, Professor Anthon has, in my 
estimation, no equal. His works have 
excited a great and beneficial influence 
in the cause of Classical learning, and 
the present undertaking will infinitely 
extend the sphere of that influence. No 
one so well as a teacher can appreciate 
the value of uniform editions of the text- 
books to be %ised by his classes. The 
undertaking of publishing a complete 
series of all those standard works which 
students must read is a noble one, and 
J sincerely hope it will be completed. 
With such a series as the present prom- 
ises to be, there ivill be nothing left to 
desire. It is be hoped that editor and 
publishers ivill meet with such encourage- 
ment as their truly valuable undertaking 
deserves. 

Your obedient servant, 

C. L. Dubuisson. 

From the Rev. John Ludlow, Pres- 
ident of the University of Pennsyl- 
vania at Philadelphia. 
The object is worthy your en- 
terprising spirit, and you have been sin- 
gularly fortunate in securing the services 
of Professor Anthon to direct it to its 
completion. The volumes which you 
have kindly sent vie fully sustain the 
reputation of that distinguished scholar, 
and afford a sure pledge of what may be 
expected in those which are to follow. 
Most heartily do I recommend your un- 
dertaking, and sincerely hope it will meet 
with the encouragement which it richly 
deserves. 

With great respect, yours, <fc, 
John Ludlow. 



ANTHON'S SERIES OP CLASSICAL WORKS. 



Letters of Recommendation — continued. 



From the Rev. B, P. Avdei,ott, 
President of the Woodward Col- 
lege, at Cincinnati, Ohio. 
From some personal acquaintance, but 
much more from general reputation, I 
formed a very high opinion of Professor 
Anthon's abilities to prepare a full series 
of Latin and Greek Classics for the 
use of schools, colleges, cj-c. Accord- 
ingly, as soon as I could obtain the va- 
rious authors edited by him, I procured 
them, and, upon a careful examination, 
was so impressed ivith their superior 
character, as to introduce them as fast 
as possible into the different departments 
of the institution under my charge. 

The various Delphin editions are very 
good, so far as ancient geography, mythol- 
ogy, usages, c\c, are concerned ; but in 
respect to critical remarks and grammat- 
ical illustrations they are of little worth ; 
they were, in general, however, the best 
we had. 

But besides being abundantly full and 
clear in everything archaeological, Pro- 
fessor Anthon has done more, in the 
editions of the classical authors prepared 
by him, to unfold the grammatical struc- 
ture, and thus throw light upon the mean- 
ing and spirit of the original, than any 
other commentator whom I have consult- 
ed. It is a striking, and, I think, de- 
cisive, proof of their superiority, that the 
students show in their recitations that 
they have read his notes and profil- 
ed by them, which they never seemed to 
me to have done when using other edi- 
tions. 

Some lime ago 1 commenced a careful 
collation of the Greek Grammar of the 
same author with those of Butmann, Val- 
py, c\c, making full notes as I went 
along, with the design of preparing a re- 
view of it at the request of the editor of 
an extensively circulated periodical, and 
such was my conviction of its peculiar 
fitness for the use of schools, that I have 
since recommended no other to our pu- 
pils. 

I would add that the neatness and 
taste with which Professor Anthon's 
elassics are got up (though they are far 
cheaper than the Delphin editions) ought 
to form no small recommendation of 
them. Our students purchase, study, 
and preserve them with manifest pleas- 
ure ; and whatever has these effects upon 
the pupil, will certainly do much to pro- 
mote the cause of sound and thorough 
classical learning. 

B. P. Aydelott. 



From the Rev. J. S. Tomlinson, 
D.D., President of Augusta Col- 
lege, Kentucky. 

/ take this opportunity to acknowledge 
the receipt (some time since) of fowr vol- 
umes of the Classical Series of Profes- 
sor Anthon of New- York ; and, after 
a careful examination of them, I can 
truly say that I am more than pleased ; 
I am delighted with them. The avowed 
object of the publication, that of furnish- 
ing accurate and uniform editions of all 
the classical authors used in colleges and 
schools, is one that, in my judgment, has 
long been a desideratum in literature, 
and I am gratified to find is about to be 
accomplished, especially by one so entire- 
ly equal to the task as Professor An- 
thon has shown himself to be. 

The biographical sketches, commen- 
taries, and annotations with which the 
volmnes are accompanied, while they re- 
flect great credit upon the erudition and 
research of the author, cannot fail to en- 
hance to the student, in a high degree, 
the attractions and value of classical 
reading. As an evidence of the estimate 
we place upon the series, ive have hither- 
to used it as far as it was attainable, and 
shall, with great pleasure, avail ourselves 
of the opportunity now afforded to adopt 
the whole of it. Allow me to add, that 
the neat, tasteful, and, at the same time, 
substa7itial style of the mechanical exe- 
cution of the ivork, fully sustains the 
well-earned reputation, in that respect, of 
the enterprising establishment whence it 
emanates. Respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 
J. S. Tomlinson. 



From Alonzo Church, D.D., Pres- 
ident of the University of Georgia. 

As far as time and a press of busi- 
ness would permit, I have examined 
these volumes, and am much pleased 
with them. They are, I think, well 
adapted to the wants of particularly, 
young students, and will, I doubt not, 
furnish what has long been a desidera- 
tum in our preparatory schools, viz., 
cheap, yet correct editions of the common 
classics, accompanied with judicious 
English notes. I do not hesitate to 
say that, ivere I engaged in giving in- 
struction to youth from these authors, I 
should prefer the editions of Professor 
Anthon to any which 1 have seen. 

A. Church. 



ANTHON S SERIES OP CLASSICAL WORKS. 



Letters of Recommendation — continued. 



From the Rev. M. Hopkins, D.D., 
President of Williams' College, at 
Williamstown, Mass. 
Professor Anthon has unquestionably 
done much service to the cause of clas- 
sical learning in this country by his edi- 
tions of the Latin classics, given to the 
public with unusual accuracy and ele- 
gance from your press. His Sallust, 
CdEsar, and Cicero cannot fail to find 
their way into very extensive use, and to 
render the entrance upon classical studies 
much more inviting and profitable. 

M. Hopkins. 

.From Wilbur Fisk, D.D., Presi- 
dent of the Wesleyan University, 
at Middletown, Conn. 
/ am highly gratified to notice that 
you have commenced a series of the clas- 
sics under the editorial supervision of 
that accomplished scholar, Professor 
Anthon of Columbia College. No man 
in our country is better qualified for this 
office than Professor Anthon. To show 
in what estimation he is held in England 
as a classical scholar, it need only be 
known that an edition of his " Horace" 
has been published in London, and the 
publishers informed me that the entire edi- 
tion had met with a ready sale; showing 
that, notwithstanding the numerous edi- 
tions of this standard ivork by the first 
scholars in England, the credit of the 
work by our American scholar had car- 
iedr it successfully through the English 
market, and that, too, by virtue of its in- 
trinsic merit. Your editions of his Cos- 
sar, Cicero, and Sallust are now before 
me, and show that there is no falling off 
from the reputation of the edition of Hor- 
ace. The copious notes and commenta- 
ries cannot fail to shed a flood of light 
upon the mind of the young student, and 
will contribute much, I trust, to foster in 
the rising generation of scholars a taste 
for the ancient classics. 

Wilbur Fisk. 

From Silas Totten, D.D., Presi- 
dent of Washington College. 
The volumes which I have examined I 
entirely approve, and think them better 
adapted to the purposes of classical in- 
struction than any edition of the same 
authors yet published in this country. 
The well-known ability of the learned 
editor admits no doubt of the excellence 
of the volumes yet to be published. 

S. ToTTE>N. 



From the President and Faculty of 
Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio. 

These three volumes, enriched by a 
copious and valuable apparatus of crit- 
ical notes, and judiciously arranged his- 
torical, geographical, archaeological, and 
legal matters, furnished by so ripe a 
scholar as Dr. Anthon, are specimens 
well calculated to recommend the series 
of which they are the commencement. 
They are well adapted to promote thor- 
ough classical learning, and are entitled 
to a high grade of popular favour. By 
order of the Faculty, 

R. H. Bishop, President. 



From Rufus Babcock, Jr., D.D., 
late President of Waterville Col- 
lege, in Maine. 

I have examined with considerable 
care, and with h igh and unmingled sat- 
isfaction, your recent edition of Profes- 
sor Anthon's Latin Classics. The dis- 
tinguished editor of Horace has rightly 
judged, that in order to elevate the range 
and standard of scholarship in this coun- 
try, it is requisite to facilitate the thor- 
ough acquisition of those elementary 
text-books which are usually first put 
into the hands of pupils. By the beau- 
tiful volumes which you have now given 
to the public from his pen, more has been 
done to make the student thoroughly ac- 
quainted with those three prime authors, 
Ceesar, Sallust, and Cicero, than by 
any other helps within my knowledge. 
I need not minutely specify the various 
points of excellence by which these books 
are distinguished. Their practical value 
will immediately be appreciated by teach- 
ers and learners. 

Allow vie, gentlemen, to tender, 
through you, my hearty thanks to Pro- 
fessor Anthon for the very valuable ser- 
vice he has performed in aid of the great 
cause of classical learning. May he 
continue his labours for the public good. 
Rufus Babcock, Jr. 



YE? Highly complimentary letters 
have also been received from Jere- 
miah Day, D.D., President of Yale 
College ; from Josiah Quincy, 
LL.L)., President of Cambridge Col- 
lege ; and from several other distin- 
guished scholars, some of which will 
ue puDhshed hereafter. 



anthon's series of classical works. 



Commendatory-Notices — continued. 



" Professor Anthon has been long 
favourably known by his publica- 
tions ; and their reproduction in this 
country is the best criterion of their 
merit. On no writings of antiquity 
has he laboured with such zeal and 
success as on those of Horace ; and 
the publisher conceives that he has 
done a service to literature by pre- 
senting his masterly annotations to 
the British scholar in a form at once 
cheap and elegant. The great value 
of the professor's notes results from 
the skill with which he conveys to 
the pupil the connexion of the poet's 
thoughts, and develops the train of 
ideas which links each fresh image 
or new argument with its precursors. 
Next in importance to this ample 
illustration of the meaning of his 
author, are the numerous notices 
gleaned from recent travellers, to 
clear up the historical, geographical, 
and antiquarian minutiae, without a 
full understanding of which, the spir- 
it of many of the finest ideas of the 

ancients becomes a dead letter 

The professor has sedulously incor- 
porated all that is valuable in the 
notes of Doring and of preceding 
commentators ; and it may be men- 
tioned, as no mean praise, that his 
translations of numerous passages, 
apparently within the reach of the 
learner, will be found to impart an in- 
sight into the curiosa felicitas of the 
poet's excursions, unattainable by 
the mere aid of the dictionary." — 
From the preface to the. second London 
edition of Anthon's Horace. 

" A publication of greater merit, 
or of more information and utility in 
its class, we have never seen. It is, 
indeed, Sosiorum pumice mundus ; and 
if Professor Anthon proposed in \tad 
umbilicum adducere in the best possi- 
ble manner, we must accede to him 
that he has fairly accomplished his 
task." — London Literary Gazette. 

"This is by far the best school 
edition of Horace that has yet been 
published in England. Professor An- 
thon has selected and condensed the 
works of the best previous commen- 
tators, removing those redundancies 
which rendered the study of the notes 
more difficult than that of the text, 
but preserving everything necessary 
to illustrate the author." — London 
Athenceum. 



" The present is a very useful and 
excellent edition. We use it in pref- 
erence to any other." — Gentleman's 
Magazine (London). 

" This is the most complete, as 
well as the most correct and the most 
elaborate edition of Horace extant. 
It would be needless for us to des- 
cant upon the merits of a publication 
which the world prizes so much as, 
in less than three months, to demand 
a second edition." — Metropolitan Mag- 
azine (London). 

"The series of Classical works 
which Harper and Brothers are now 
publishing, under the editorial super- 
vision of Professor Anthon, are pre- 
cisely adapted to remove many of 
those obstructions which formerly im- 
peded both the amplified understand- 
ing and the rapid progress of the stu- 
dent as a linguist in these tongues. 
The narrative by Caesar, the select 
orations of Cicero, and the history by 
Sallust, which have already been is- 
sued, are prepared in that very style 
which will not only encourage the 
student to alacrity and perseverance, 
but the information which the anno- 
tations impart are directly fitted to 
allure him onward, by continually 
opening to him the vast universe of 
knowledge in which he is invited to 
expatiate; while they furnish that 
exact quantum of aid which sets 
aside otherwise insurmountable hin- 
derances, and by its attractiveness 
encourages strenuous effort, by his 
own energies, to comprehend the au- 
thors whose works he is perusing. — 
Cincinnati Christian Journal. 

" The enviable reputation that 
Professor Anthon has acquired as a 
profound scholar, a distinguished phi- 
lologist, and an abstruse commenta- 
tor ; for critical acumen, untiring re- 
search, and redundancy of learning, 
is a sure guarantee that every task he 
sets himself to will be undertaken 
with zeal and executed with more 
than ordinary ability." — The Expos- 
itor. 

" The author has proved himself 
completely master of his subject, 
certainly one of great difficulty. Not 
only is he deserving of the patronage 
of the community, but even of some- 
thing like gratitude from our young 
men who are seeking a liberal educa- 
tion." — American Traveller (Boston). 



ANTHON S SERIES OP CLASSICAL WORKS. 



Commendatory Notices — continued. 



" The great problem in the art of 
teaching is, that the teacher should 
forget that he knows himself what he 
is teaching to others ; should remem- 
ber that what is clear as day to him 
is all Cimmerian darkness to his pu- 
pil. This problem, long since proved, 
Professor Anthon has, in our opinion, 
been the first to put in practice ; and, 
in consequence, his are, we may well 
believe, the best classbooks ex- 
TA NT." — Knickerbocker Magazine. 

"To relieve the youthful 

mind from this bootless burden we 
count no small praise. We hold it, 
indeed, to be among the noblest ends 
to which true learning can ever de- 
vote itself. We are sure it never ap- 
pears more pleasing than in such con- 
descension , and, what is still better, 
we know no labour more useful to 
the community. This meed of praise, 
whatever it be, belongs unquestiona- 
bly to no scholar on this side of the 
Atlantic, and to few on the other, 
more truly than to Professor An- 
thon."— Church Quarterly Review. 

"In all these points Profes- 
sor Antrum's schoolbooks — if it be 
not a sin to call those schoolbooks 
which clever men might study to 
advantage— are surpassingly excel- 
lent and able ; while exercising the 
most painfully critical research, he 
has not disdained the lucidus ordo ; 
he has remembered that he was wri- 
ting for the education of the young 
unpractised mind, not for the culti- 
vation of the ripe and ornate intellect ; 
and hence, while his English notes, 
whether critical or explanatory, are 
as copious and comprehensive as the 
most abstruse commentary, they are, 
at the same time, so simple and so 
luminous as to be within the scope 
of the earliest and feeblest reason. 
.... We have only to say in conclu- 
sion, that every school ought at once 
to adopt this series of works, which 
may, in truth, be looked upon as in- 
troducing a new era into the educa- 
tion of our country, and as reflecting 
much honour on the talent of the 
learned professor by whom they were 
prepared."—vWn'ca?i Monthly Mag- 
azine. 

" They go beyond any of the ele- 
mentary works printed here, which 
is saying a great deal." — Boston Ad- 



"Mr. Anthon is essentially aid- 
ing the acquisition of the ancient 
tongues ; and we trust that he will 
enjoy all the success which his val- 
uable labours so justly merit." — 
Christian Intelligencer. 

. . . . " So correct in text, so elab- 
orate in commentaries, so vastly su- 
perior, in clearness, depth, and vari- 
ety of information, to any which have 
gone before, that no man, however 
thoroughly imbued with classic lore, 
has any right to consider these admi- 
rable works beneath his notice, or 
suited only to the half-formed intel- 
lect of young beginners." — Christian 
Advocate and Journal. 

" Teachers owe an incalculable 
debt of gratitude to this accomplish- 
ed and patriotic scholar, for the mas- 
terly and successful effort that he 
has made to put them in possession 
of the means of raising themselves 
and pupils to a high standard of schol- 
arship. He has laid a sure founda- 
tion, on which, with ordinary labour, 
they may rear a superstructure that 
will throw its shadow across the At- 
lantic waves, and win for America the 
veneration of those who have hith- 
erto looked to us as moving sluggish- 
ly on in the paths of Grecian and Ro- 
man literature." — Family Magazine. 

" Professor Anthon deserves the 
thanks of the country for the zeal with 
which he has undertaken, and the 
ability with which he has thus far ex- 
ecuted, his task." — Rochester Repub- 
lican. 

" This is a beautiful edition, with 
very valuable notes, by a hand every 
way competent. It forms a most 
valuable addition to the stock of 
useful classics published by the Har- 
pers." — N. Y. American. 

" As a philologist and a classical 
scholar, Professor Anthon has no su- 
perior in the United States : and his 
schoolbooks are deservedly popular, 
both in England and in this country." 
— N. Y. Times. 

" On this side of the Atlantic at 
least, and to some extent beyond it, 
Professor Anthon is equally known 
as admirably qualified to edit and en- 
rich a version of the classics for our 
own times and the higher seminaries 
of learning now so thickly scattered 
through our country." — The New- 
Yorker. 



ANTHON'S SERIES OF CLASSICAL WORKS. 



Commendatory Notices — continued. 



" To all classes — the maturest 
scholar and the merest tyro, the man 
of elegant and easy learning and the 
laborious student— these admirable 
works will prove a most invaluable 
acquisition." — Commercial Advertiser. 

" The profound scholar under 
whose supervision these excellent 
works are put forth to the world is 
as well known on the Continent of 
Europe as he is on our own shores ; 
and is, perhaps, the only son of Amer- 
ica who has ever attained that de- 
gree of fame for classical attainments 
which should constitute him an au- 
thority second, if second, only to the 
great names of Knglish or of German 
criticism — the Heynes and Bruncks, 
the Elmsleys and the Porsons, and 
the Bentleys, who have devoted so 
much time and labour to minute in- 
vestigation and clear exposition of 
the great works of old."— N. Y. 
Courier and Enquirer. 

" The notes are all that notes 

can be ; copious but not diffuse, 
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IC7 In addition to the above, numer- 
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Nearly ready, in one royal octavo volume of 1200 pages. 

A. 

CLASSICAL DICTIONARY, 

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT 
OF 

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AND INTENDED TO ELUCIDATE ALL THE IMPORTANT POINTS 
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AND MYTHOLOGY 

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TOGETHER 

WITH A COPIOUS CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, 

AND 

AN ACCOUNT OF THE COINS, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES OP THE 

ANCIENTS, WITH TABULAR VALUES OF THE SAME. 

BY CHARLES ANTHON, LL.D. 

The publishers beg leave to state, that, in preparing this work for the 
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CLASSICAL WORKS 
PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW- YORK. 

ANTHON'S SERIES OF CLASSICAL WORKS. 
The following works, already published, may be regarded as specimens of the whole 
series, which will consist of about thirty volumes. 



First Latin Lessons, containing 
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together with appropriate Exer- 
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Select Orations of Cicero, with 
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CLASSICAL LIBRARY. 
With Portraits on steel. Bound uniformly, but each work sold separately. 



Xenophon. (Anabasis, translated 
by E. Spelman, Esq., Cyrops- 
dia, by the Hon. M. A. Cooper.) 

The Orations of Demosthenes. 
Translated by Thomas Leland. 

Sallust. Translated by William 
Rose, M. A. With Improvements. 

Cesar. Translated by William 
Duncan. With a Portrait. 

Cicero. The Orations by Duncan, 
the Offices by Cockman, and the 
Cato and Laelius by Melmoth. 

Virgil. The Eclogues by Wrang- 
ham, the Georgics by Sotheby, 
and the ^Eneid by Dryden. 

jEschylus. Translated by the Rev. 
R. Potter, A.M. 

Sophocles. Translated by Thom- 
as Francklin, D.D. Portrait. 

Euripides. Translated by the 
Rev. R. Potter, A.M. Portrait. 

Plutarch's Lives. By John Lang- 
home, D.D.., and William Lang- 
home, A.M. A new Edition. 



Ovid. Translated by Dryden, Pope, 
Congreve, Addison, and others. 

Horace. Translated by Philip 
Francis, D.D. And 

Ph^edrus. Translated by Christo- 
pher Smart, A.M. Portrait. 

Thuoydides. Translated by Wil- 
liam Smith, A.M. Portrait. 

Livy. Translated by George Ba- 
ker, A.M. With a Portrait. 

Herodotus. Translated by the 
Rev. William Beloe. Portrait. 

Homer. Translated by Alexander 
Pope, Esq. With a Portrait. 

Juvenal. Translated by Charles 
Badham, M.D.,F.R.S. New Edi- 
tion. To which are added, the 
Satires of Perseus. 

Pindar. Translated by the Rev. 
C. A. Wheelwright. And 

Anacreon. Translated by Thomas 
Bourne, Esq. 

A Life of Washington. In Latin 
Prose. By Francis Glass, A.M. 



Ill© MASH 



HARPER & BROTHERS . 
1836 . 



WORKS OF HORACE, 



ENGLISH NOTES, 



CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY, 



CHARLES ANTHON, LL.D., 

.UY-PROFKSSOR OF THE GREEK AND LATIN LANGUAGES IN COLUMBIA COLLEGE, 
NEW-YORK, AND RECTOR OF THE GRAMMAR-SCHOOL. 



A NEW EDITION, 

WITH 
CORRECTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS. 



NEW-YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, 82 CLIFF-STREET 

18 39. 






^>' 



*$* 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, by 

Harper & Brothers, 
in the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New-York. 



6 



MY OLD AND VALUED FRIEND, 

JAMES CAMPBELL, ESQ. 

WHO, AMID THE GRAVER DUTIES OF A JUDICIAL STATION, 

CAN STILL FIND LEISURE TO GRATIFY A PURE AND 

CULTIVATED TASTE, BY REVIVING THE 

STUDIES OF EARLIER YEARS. 



PREFACE. 



The very favourable reception which the present work 
has enjoyed, both in Europe and our own country, has in- 
duced the editor to put it forth again in a neater and still more 
convenient form; The design, therefore, originally enter- 
tained, of republishing the larger Horace, is now abandoned, 
and the present volume is to supply its place for the time to 
come. The object of this abridgment is, as was stated on its 
first appearance, to supply the student with a text-book of 
convenient size, and one that may contain, at the same time, 
a commentary sufficiently ample for all his wants. The ed- 
itor hopes, from the rapid sale of the previous editions, that 
this desirable result has been successfully accomplished; 
and he returns his thanks to those instructers, who have not 
allowed themselves to be trammelled by sectional feelings 
and prejudices, but have adopted his work in their respect- 
ive institutions, although it does not emanate from what 
some are pleased to consider as the hearth of American 
scholarship. 

It may seem strange to talk of sectional prejudices in mat- 
ters of education and classical learning ; yet the fact cannot 
be disguised, that they not only exist, but exercise also a very 
baneful influence among us ; and we may well despair of 
seeing the scholarship of our common country attain to any 
degree of eminence, while these miserable prejudices are al- 
lowed to continue. The editor speaks thus plainly on this 
subject, as he himself has experienced, more, perhaps, than 
any other individual, the effects which such feelings are but 
too well calculated to produce. He has been charged with 
overloading the authors, whom he has from time to time ed- 
ited, with cumbersome commentaries ; he has been accused 
of making the path of classical learning too easy for the stu- 



dent, and of imparting light where the individual should have 
been allowed to kindle his own torch and to find his own way. 
What made these charges the more amusing was, that while 
they were gravely uttered on this side of the Atlantic, the 
editor's labours were deemed worthy of being republished in 
three different quarters on the other side of the ocean. No 
complaint was made in Europe of heavy commentaries, of 
too much aid having been imparted to the young student, or 
of too much light having been thrown upon the meaning of 
the ancient authors ; on the contrary, the editor's labours were 
praised for possessing the very qualities that were deemed 
objectionable by some of his own countrymen. It was 
thought that the classical student required a great deal of 
assistance in his earlier progress, a great deal of light in the 
first steps of his career; and to crown all, the first London 
edition of the Horace was exhausted in less than three 
months, while an edition of Terence, now republishing in 
Boston, was got up by Dr. Hickie, " as nearly as possible," to 
use the language of his own preface, " on the plan of An- 
thon's Horace." 

Now, one of two things : either the youth of Britain, the 
classical students in the land of Bentley and Porson, are very 
badly taught, and, therefore, want all the aid which copious 
commentaries can afford, while our own youth in this respect 
are so highly favoured as to need little, if any, assistance at 
all ; or else they, who are intrusted abroad with the educa- 
tion of the young, are so liberal minded, and so far removed 
from all paltry prejudices, as even to receive a work from a 
foreign land, no matter where that land be situated, provided 
the work in question be found of any utility in the education 
of the young. The editor will not undertake to decide this 
very interesting point, but leaves it for the grave considera- 
tion of his countrymen, merely remarking, tha{ the Sallust, 
Cicero, and Caesar, which are edited on precisely the same 
plan with the Horace, have all been republished in England, 
and that too without any effort on his own part to bring about 
such a result. 

Columbia College, March 15, 1839. 



MFE OF HOUACE. 



Quintus Horatius Flaccus was born at Venusia, or 
Venusium, a city of Apulia, A. U. C. 689, B. C. 65. His 
father, a freedman and client of the Gens Horatia, was the 
proprietor of a small farm in the vicinity of that place., from 
which he afterwards removed to Rome, when his son had 
attained the age of nine or ten years, in order to afford him 
the benefit of a liberal education. While the parent was 
discharging, in this great city, the humble duties of an at- 
tendant on public sales, the son was receiving the instruc- 
tions of the ablest preceptors, and enjoying in this respect 
the same advantages as if he had been descended from one 
of the oldest families of the capital. It is to this circum- 
stance that the poet, in one of his productions, beautifully 
alludes ; and it would be difficult to say, which of the two 
was entitled to higher praise, the father who could appropri- 
ate his scanty savings to so noble an end, or the son who 
could make mention of that father's care of his earlier years 
with such manly gratitude and candour. Orbilius Pupillus, 
an eminent grammarian of the day, was the first instructor of 
the young Horace, who read with him (though it would seem 
with no great relish) the most ancient poets of Rome. The 



Vlll LIFE OF HORACE. 

literature of Greece next claimed his attention ; and it may 
well be imagined that the productions of the bard of Ionia, 
while they would be perused with a higher zest than the 
feebler efforts of a Livius or an Ennius, would also kindle in 
the bosom of the young scholar the first spark of that poetic 
talent, which was destined to prove the ornament and the 
admiration of his country. About the age of twenty-one, 
Horace was sent to Athens to complete his education. The 
Academy here numbered him among its pupils, and he had 1 
for his fellow-disciples the son of Cicero, Varus, and the 
young Messala. It would appear, however, from the con- 
fessions of his maturer years, that he entertained no very se- 
rious attachment to any system of philosophical speculation ; 
and though all his writings breathe an Epicurean spirit, and 
he himself sometimes betrays a partiality to that school, still 
he rather seems disposed to ridicule the folly of all sects, than 
to become the strenuous advocate for any one of them. 
During the time that Horace was residing at Athens many 
and important changes had taken place at home. Caesar 
had been assassinated ; Antony was seeking to erect on the 
ruins of the Dictator's power a still more formidable despo- 
tism ; while Brutus and Cassius, the last hopes of the de- 
clining republic, were come to Athens in order to call to their 
standard the young Romans who were pursuing their stu- 
dies in that celebrated city. Among the number of those, 
whom an attachment to the principles of freedom induced to 
join the republican party, was the future bard of Venusia. 
He continued nearly two years under the command of Bru- 
tus, accompanied him into Macedonia, and, after attaining 
there the rank of military tribune, served in that capacity in 
the fatal conflict of Philippi. Of his disgraceful flight on 
this memorable occasion the poet himself has left us an ac- 
count. He acknowledges, in an ode imitated from Archilo- 
chus, that he threw away his buckler and saved himself by 
a precipitate retreat, a confession which some have regarded 
as the mere effusion of a sportive muse, while others have 



LIFE OF HORACE. 



dignified it with the appellation of history. The truth un- 
questionably lies between either extreme. There is no ground 
for the supposition that Horace abandoned the conflict before 
the rest of his party ; nor would he as a Roman have ac- 
knowledged his rapid flight, had it not been inevitable and 
shared by his companions. An amnesty having been pro- 
claimed to those who should . surrender themselves, we find 
Horace embracing this opportunity of quitting the republi- 
can ranks and returning to his country. At home, however, 
fresh misfortunes awaited him. During the interval of his 
absence, his father had paid the debt of nature, his scanty 
inheritance was ruined or confiscated, and the political hori- 
zon seemed unpropitious to any hope which the young Ve- 
nusian might have entertained of future advancement. Na- 
turally indolent, and of a character strongly marked by a 
diffidence in his own abilities, it may well be imagined that 
Horace needed some excitement as powerful as this to call 
his latent energies into action. " Poverty," exclaims the bard, 
" drove me to write verses ;" and poverty, we may add, prov- 
ed the harbinger of his fame. Among the generous friends 
who fostered his rising talents, and whose approbation en- 
couraged him to persevere in the cultivation of his poetic 
powers, were Virgil and Varus ; by the former of whom he 
was recommended, at the age of twenty-seven, to the notice 
of Maecenas, and at a subsequent period by the latter. The 
account which the poet has left us of his first interview is 
extremely interesting. He appears before his future patron 
abashed and diffident. His previous history is told in a few 
words. The reply of Maecenas is equally brief, and nine 
months are suffered to elapse before any farther notice is ta- 
ken by him of the candidate for his favour. When this pe- 
riod of probation is at an end, during which the poet has de- 
graded his muse by no offering of servile adulation, he is un- 
expectedly summoned into the presence of Maecenas, and 
soon finds himself in the number of his domestic and most inti- 
mate friends. Indeed friendship, in the ordinary acceptation 



X UFE OF HORACE. 

of the term, seems too cold and formal a word to denote that 
warm tone of almost fraternal feeling which subsisted be- 
tween the bard and his generous patron. That the poetical 
abilities of Horace contributed largely towards cementing an 
union so honourable to both cannot be denied. And yet it 
is equally apparent, that even if those abilities had not been 
what they were, still his pleasing maimers, his sterling sense, 
his refined and elegant wit, but, above all, his deep and accu- 
rate knowledge of human nature, would of themselves have 
secured to Horace the confidence and affection of his friend. 
After this auspicious change in his fortunes, the horizon of the 
poet, like the glassy surface of his own Bandusian fountain, 
was all serenity and peace. A romantic villa at Tibur, on 
the banks of the Anio, and a secluded farm in the eastern 
extremity of the country of the Sabines, were among the 
favours received at the hands of Maecenas : but the most 
important benefit of all was the friendship and patronage of 
his imperial master. Amid all this prosperity, however, the 
mind of the poet appears never to have deviated from its ac- 
customed equanimity. With the means of possessing an 
ample fortune fully within his reach, with Augustus himself 
for his protector and Maecenas for his friend, too much can- 
not be said in praise of the man who could prefer his hum- 
ble abode on the Esquiline, the summer air of Praeneste, his 
villa at Tibur, or his Sabine farm to all the splendours of af- 
fluence ; and who, in writing to his friend Licinius, could so 
beautifully allude to his own unerring rules of action, which 
had proved to him the surest guides to a happy and content- 
ed life. Perhaps too, the situation of his country may have 
operated in repressing any ambitious feelings in the poet's 
breast. Horace had seen too much of the instability of for- 
tune ever to cherish the desire of again appearing among 
her votaries ; and whatever we may think of the courtly 
flattery which he so freely lavished on his powerful master, 
still his writings but too plainly show that better feelings 
were not wholly extinguished, that at times he could recall 



LIFE OF HORACE. XI 

to remembrance the lost freedom of his country, and think 
and speak like a Roman. That he could decline offers made 
him by the monarch, which, if accepted, would have placed 
him in situations of power and emolument, is evident even 
from a single- instance recorded by his biographer. The em- 
peror wished him for his private amanuensis, and wrote to 
Maecenas in relation to him. The offer was declined, on 
the plea of enfeebled health, yet without producing any 
diminution of his accustomed friendship on the part of Au- 
gustus. 

In person Horace was below the ordinary size, and in- 
clining to corpulence. From his own account, however, he 
would seem to have been abstemious in his diet, and to have 
divided the greater part of the day between reading and 
writing, the bath and the tennis-court. He was subject to a 
defiuxion of the eyes, as was Virgil to a complaint of asth- 
ma ; and Augustus used to rally the two poets by saying, 
that he sat " between sighs and tears." 

His friend Maecenas died in the beginning of November, 
A. U. C. 746, B. C. 8, and in his last will recommended the 
poet to the protection of Augustus ; but Horace survived 
him onlj r a few weeks ; and so short indeed was the interval 
which elasped between the death of Maecenas and that of 
the bard, and so strongly expressed had been the determina- 
tion of the latter not to be left behind by his best of patrons 
and friends, that many have not hesitated to regard the death 
of Horace as having been hastened by his own voluntary 
act. He died at the age of fifty-seven, and his remains 
were deposited on the Esquiline Hill, near the tomb of Mae- 
cenas. 

The works of Horace consist of four Books of Odes, a 
Book of Epodes, two Books of Satires, and two of Epistles. 
One of the Epistles, that addressed to the Pisos, is common- 
ly known by the title " Be Arte Poetica," " On the Art of 
Poetry." The character of the poet and his productions is 
thus given by a modern writer, himself a votary of the Mu- 



Xll LIFE OF HORACE. 

ses. " The writings of Horace have an air of frankness 
and openness about them ; a manly simplicity, and a con- 
tempt of affectation or the little pride of a vain and mean 
concealment, which at once take hold on our confidence. 
We can believe the account which he gives of his own cha- 
racter, without scruple or suspicion. That he was fond of 
pleasure is confessed ; but, generally speaking, he was mo- 
derate and temperate in his pleasures ; and his convivial 
hours seem to have been far more mental, and more enlighten- 
ed by social wit and wisdom, than are those of the common 
herd of Epicurean poets. Of his amorous propensities, with 
the contamination of his times clinging about them, we may, 
out of respect to his good qualities, be silent. For let it 
never be forgotten, that Horace forms an honourable excep- 
tion to the class of voluptuaries, and that he has left us 
much that is praise-worthy and valuable to redeem his er- 
rors." 

" Horace, of all the writers of antiquity, most abounds 
with that practical good sense, and familiar observation of 
life and manners which render an author, in a more empha- 
tic sense, the reader's companion. Good sense, in factj seems 
the most distinguished feature of his Satires ; for his wit 
seems to me rather forced ; and it is their tone of sound un- 
derstanding, added to their easy, conversational air, and a cer- 
tain turn for fine raillery, that forms the secret by which 
they please. His metre is even studiously careless : he ex- 
pressly disclaims the fabrication of polished verse, and speaks 
of his ( Pedestrian Muse.' Swift is a far better copyist of 
his manner than Pope, who should have imitated Juvenal. 
But the lyric poetry of Horace displays an entire command 
of all the graces and powers of metre. Elegance and just- 
ness of thought, and felicity of expression, rather than sub- 
limity, seem to be its general character, though the poet 
sometimes rises to ^considerable grandeur of sentiment and 
imagery In variety and versatility his lyric genius is un- 
rivalled by that of any poet with whom we are acquainted ; 



ILirE CF HORACE.- X1U 

and there are no marks of inequality, or of inferiority to 
himself. Whether his Odes be of the moral and philosophi- 
cal kind ; the heroic, the descriptive, or the amatory, the 
light and the joyous : each separate species would seem to 
be his peculiar province. His epistles evince a knowledge of 
the weaknesses of the human heart, which would do honour 
to a professed philosopher. What Q,uintilian, and the mo- 
derns after him, call the " Art of Poetry," seems to have 
been only the third epistle of the second book, addressed to 
the Pisos. The style and maimer differ in no respect from 
the former epistles. The observations are equally desultory, 
and we meet with the same strokes of satirical humour ; 
which appear unsuitable to a didactic piece. Dr. Hurd, in- 
deed, has discovered the utmost order and connexion in this 
epistle, which he supposes to contain a complete system of 
rules for dramatic composition. But Hurd was a pupil of 
Warburton ; and, together with much of his ingenuity, had 
imbibed also much of the paradox of his master. His com- 
mentary, however, is extremely interesting."* 



Elton's Specimens of the Classic Poets, Vol. 2. p. 175. 



METRES OF HORACE. 



1. DACTYLIC HEXAMETER. 

Laudd\bunt all\l cld\rdm Rhodon j aid Mity\lenen. 

The structure of this species of verse is sufficiently well 
known ; it consists of six feet, the fifth of which is a dactyl, 
and the sixth a spondee, while each of the other four feet 
may be either a dactyl or spondee. Sometimes, however, in 
a- solemn, majestic, or mournful description, or in express- 
ing astonishment, consternation, vastness of size, &c. a spon- 
dee is admitted in the fifth foot, and the line is then denomi 
nated Spondaic. 

The hexameters of Horace, in his Satires and Epistles, 
are written in so negligent a manner as to lead to the opi- 
nion, that this style of composition was purposely adopted 
by him to suit the nature of his subject. Whether this opi- 
nion be correct or not must be considered elsewhere. It will 
only be requisite here to state, that the peculiar character of 
his hexameter versification will render it unnecessary for us 
to say any thing respecting the doctrine of the caesural 
pause in this species of verse, which is better explained with 
reference to the rhythm and cadence of Virgil. 



METRES OF HORACE. 



2. Dactylic Tetrameter a posteriory 1 

The Tetrameter a posteriore, or Spondaic tetrameter, con- 
sists of the last four feet of an hexameter ; as, 

Cerliis e\nlm pro\misit A\pollo. 

Sometimes, as in the hexameter, a spondee occupies the 
last place but one, in which case the preceding foot ought to 
be a dactyl, or the line will be too heavy ; as, 

Menso\rem cohi\Mnt Ar\chytd. 

3. Dactylic Trimeter Catalectic. 

The Trimeter catalectic is a line consisting of the first 
five half-feet of an hexameter, or two feet and a half; as, 

Arbon\busquS cu\mae. 

Horace uniformly observes this construction, viz. two dactjds 
and a semi-foot. Ausonius, however, sometimes makes the 
first foot a spondee, and twice uses a spondee in the second 
place ; but the spondee injures the harmony of the verse 

4. Adonic. 2 

The Adonic, or Dactylic Dimeter, consists of two feet, a 
dactyl and spondee ; as, 



(1) The expression a posteriore refers to the verse being considered as 
taken from the latter part of an hexameter line (a -posteriore parte ver- 
sus hexametri), and is consequently opposed to the dactylic tetrameter a 
priore. This last is taken from the first part (a pricre parte) of an hex- 
ameter, and must always have the last foot a dactyl. 

(2) This verse derives its name from the circumstance of its being 
used by the Greeks in the music which accompanied the celebration of 
the festival of Adonis : that part probably which represented the restora- 
tion of Adonis to life. 



METRES OF HORACE. 



1 2 3 4 5 6 



As an exemplification of this scale, we shall subjoin some 
of the principal mixed trimeters of Horace. 



Epod. Li 
1. 

2. 



27. Pecuslve Cala\\br~is an\te sl\\dus fer\indum. 
23. Libit \ jace\\re, modo | sub un\\tiqua i\lice. 
33. Aut aiw,\te le\\vt ra\ra ten\\dH re\lia. \ 
Aut almite le\\vi rd\rd ten\\dit re\lia. y 
35. PaviduirAve lepo\\rem } et ad\venani \\ laqueo \ gruem 
39. Quod si | j}udi\\cd mull\er In || partem \ juvet. 
57. Aut her\balapci\\thi pra\ta aman\tis, et | grcivi. 
61. Has m\tsr mu\\las, id | juval || pastas | oves. 
65. Positbs\que ')er\nas, di\tis ex\\ctmhi \ dorms. 
67. Haec ibi | Ucu\\tus foe\nera\\tor M\phius. 
17. Nee ini\nits hume\\ris ef\fica\\cts Her\culis. 



with this. Porson (Praef. adHec. 6.) his denied the admissibility of 
the anapaest into the third or Jfth place of the Greek Tragic trimeter, 
except in the case of Proper Naples with the anapaest contained in the 
same word. In Latin tragedy, however, it obtained admission into both 
stations, though more rarely into the third. In the fifth station, the Ro- 
man tragedians not only admitted, but seemed to have a strong inclination 
for, this foot. Vid. Carey's Latn Prosody, p. 256, ed. 1819. 

(1) The quantity of the a in imite depends on that of the e in levi. 
If we read levi, it is amite, but if levi, anile. This results from the prin- 
ciples of the Trimeter Iambic scae. We cannot say amite levi, with- 
out admitting an anapaest into the second place, which would violate the 
measure ; neither can we read anile levi, without admitting a pyrrhich 
into the second place, which is mheard of. 



\ 



METRES OF HORACE. XIX 

Epod. Line. 

5. 15. Cdnidi\a brevi\\bus im\plica\\ta vi\peris. 

25. At ex\pedt\\ta Saga\nd, per [| totdm | domum. 

49. Quiddix\it? aid || quidtdcu\it? O j| rebus | meis 

79. Prius\que coe\\lum si\det m\\ferius | marl. 

85. Serf rfw&«|MS, Mn||rfe rum\peret || s?Zen|£iwwi. 

91. Qmn, ii6« | pm||re jf{s|s*is e#||sp£ra|«ero. 

7. 1. Q*«o, 9M0 I sceles\\ti rui\tis ? aid || cwr deadens. 

9. 17. Ad hoc \ fremen\\tes ver\terunt || bis mil\le equos. 

10. 7. fras«r||g-a£ >#</m|/o, <jwa»|£ws a/||fis *n.orc|£*/j*«. 
19. Iom|ws u\\do quiim \ rhnu\\giens | sinus. 1 

11. 23. JYunc, glo\ridn^tis quam\libet || miUier|cwfrwra. 
27. (Serf dli\us ar\\dor aid j piie7[|Zae can\didae. 

17. 6. Camrfl|a, par||ce vo\cibus j| tandem j sdcris. 

12. j3Z^|6ms aZ[|</*(e can* | feus /iom*||c*rfam ilec | /oreni. 

42. bifa\mis Hele\\nae Cas\tor of\\fensu$ | vice. 

63. /rtg-ra|/a mlse||ro in|£a rfii|jcenrfa es£, | in hoc 

65. Op/af | quie\\tem Pelo\pis in\\fidi | pa£e>. 

74. Vecta\bor hume\\ris time | ego ini\\micis | eques. 

78. jDer*pe|re JLw||«tM>i w|cj!&{(S || j>ossim | mm. 

6. Iambic Trimeter Catalectic. 

This is the common Trimeter (No. 5.) wanting the final 
syllable. It consists of five feet, properly all iambi, followed 
by a catalectic syllable : as. 

Voca\tus at\\que non | mora ||/*is au\dit. 

Like the common Trimeter, however, it admits the spon- 
dee into the first and third places ; but not into the fifth, 
which would render the verse too heavy and prosaic. 



(1) Ionius, from the Greek 'iSvios. Hence the remark of Maltby 
(Morell. Lex. Graec. Pros. ad. voc.) 'tevtos apud poetas mihi nondum 
occurrit; nam ad Pind. Nem. 4. 87. recte dedit Heynius 'Uvwv non me- 
tro solum jubente, verum etiam hac Dammii regula. " Si de gente 
Graeca sermo est, semper hoc nomen scribi, per u ; sed si de mari Ionio, 
semper per o jweptv." 



XX METRES OF HORACE. 

Trahunt\que stc\\cas ma\cMnae \\ carilnas. 
Nonnul\la quer\\cu sunt\cava\\ta et ul\mo. 

Terentianus Maurus, without any good reason, prefers 
scanning it as follows : 

Trahunt\que sic\cas || mdcM\nae cd\rinds. 

This species of verse is likewise called Archilochian, from 
the poet Archilochus. 

7. Iambic Dimeter. 

The Iambic Dimeter consists of two measures, or four feet, 
properly all iambi ; as, 

Perim\xU hoc || ia\soriem. 

It admits, however, the same variations as the trimeter, 
though Horace much more frequently employs a spondee 
than any other foot in the third place. The scale of this 
measure is as follows : 



1 


2 


3 


4 


J- 


w- 


w- 













This species of verse is also called Archilochian dimeter. 
The following lines from the Epodes will illustrate the scale. 

Epod. 2. line 62. Vide\re p~ope||r -anils 'domum, 
3. — 8. Canid^a trac\\tdvit | ddpes, 
5. — 48. Cdmdl[d ru\\dens polfeem. 



metres of horace. xxi 

8. Iambic Dimeter Hypermeter. 

This measure, also called Archilochian, is the Iambic Di- 
meter (No. 7.) with an additional syllable at the end ; as, 

Rede\gU ad || veros \ timo\\res. 

Horace frequently uses this species of verse in conjunc 
tion with the Alcaic, and always has the third foot a spon- 
dee : for the line, which in the common editions runs thus, 

Disjec\ta non || Uvi | rt"«||na, 

is more correctly read with leni in place of levi. 

9. Acephalous Iambic Dimeter. 

This is the Iambic Dimeter (No. 7.) wanting the first syl- 
lable : as, 

Non | ebur J| neque au\reum. 

It may, however, be also regarded as a Trochaic Dimeter 
Catalectic, and scanned as follows : 

Nun etfiur ne\\que aure\um; 

though, if we follow the authority of Terentianus (De Metr. 
73S), we must consider the first appellation as the more cor- 
rect one of the two, since he expressly calls it by this name. 

10. Sapphic 

This verse takes its name from the poetess Sappho, who 
invented it, and consists of five feet, viz. a trochee, a spon- 
dee, a dactyl, and two more trochees ; as, 

Deflu\it sax\is agi\tatiis | humor. 

But in the Greek stanza, Sappho sometimes makes the 



XXU METRES OF HORACE 

second foot a trochee, in which she is imitated by Catullus ; 
as, 

Jlai Ai\6s So\Xofr\oxs, XiVcofioct vs. 
Pauca | nuntt\ate meae puellae. 

Horace, however, uniformly has the spondee in- the second 
place, which renders the verse much more melodious and 
flowing-. The Sapphic stanza, both in Greek and Latin, is 
composed of three Sapphics and one Adonic. (No. 4.) As 
the Adonic sometimes was irregularly subjoined to any in- 
definite number of Sapphics (vid. Remarks on Adonic verse), 
so, on other occasions, the Sapphics were continued in unin- 
terrupted succession, terminating as they had begun, with- 
out the addition of an Adonic even at the end, as in Boethi- 
us, lib. 2. metr. 6. — Seneca, Troades, act 4. 

The most pleasing verses, are those in which the caesural 
pause occurs at the fifth half-foot ; as, 

inte\ger vi\tae || scele\rtsque | purus 
jy/on e\get JVEaulri \\jacu\Us nee | arcu 
JYec ve\nina\tis || grdvildd sa^gtttis 
Fusee pha\retra. 

The following lines, on the contrary, in which the pause 
falls differently, are far less melodious. 

Qui sedens adversus, || identidem te. 
Quindecim Diana || preces virorum. 
Liberum munivit iter [| daturus. 
Haec Jovem sentire, || Deosque cunctos. 

With regard to the caesura of the foot, it is worth notic • 
ing, that in the Greek Sapphics there is no necessity for any 
conjunction of the component feet by caesura, but every foot 
may be terminated by an entire word. This freedom forms 
the characteristic feature of the Greek Sapphic, and is what 
chiefly distinguishes it from the Latin Sapphic, as exhibited 
by Horace, 



METRES OF HORACE. XX111 

In Sapphics, the division of a word between two lines fre- 
quently occurs ; and, what is remarkable, not compound but 
simple words, separately void of all meaning ; as, 

Labitur ripa, Jove non probante, ux- 
orius amnis. 

This circumstance, together with the fact of such a divi- 
sion taking place only between the third Sapphic and the 
concluding Adonic, 1 has induced an eminent prosodian (Dr. 
Carey) to entertain the opinion^ that neither Sappho nor Ca- 
tullus, nor Horace, ever intended the stanza to consist of four 
separate verses, but wrote it as three, viz. two five-foot Sap- 
phics and one of seven feet (including the Adonic) ; the fifth 
foot of the long verse being indiscriminately either a spon- 
dee or a trochee. 

11. Choriambic Pentameter. 

The Choriambic Pentameter consists of a spondee, three 
choriambi, and an iambus : as, 

Tu ne j quaesteris, | scire nefaSj | quern miht, quem I tibi. 

12. Altered Choriambic Tetrameter. 

The proper Choriambic Tetrameter consists of three cho- 
riambi and a bacchius (i. e. an iambus and a long syllable) ; 
as, 



(1) The divisions which take place between the othe^ lines of the 
Sapphic stanza, when they are not common cases of Synapheia, (as in 
Horace, Carm. 2. 218.) will he found to regard compound words only, 
and not simple ones. The ode of Horace (4. 2.) which begins 

Pindarum quisquis studet aemidari 
Iule 

furnishes no exception to this remark. A Synaeresis operates in Iule, 
which must be read as if written Yule. 



XXIV METRES OF HORACE. 

Jane pater, | Jane tuens, | dive biceps, \ biformis. 

(Sept. Serenus.) 

Horace, however, made an alteration, though not an im- 
provement, by substituting a spondee instead of an iambus, 
in the first measure, viz. 

Te deos o\ro Sybarin \ cur proper es \ amando. 

The Choriambic Tetrameter, in its original state, was call- 
ed Phalaecian, from the poet Phalaecius, who used it in some 
of his compositions. 

13. Asclepiadic Choriambic Tetrameter. 

This verse, so called from the poet Asclepiades, consists of 
a spondee, two choriambi, and an iambus ; as, 

JWaece\nas atavis || edlte re\gibus. 

The caesural pause takes place at the end of the first cho- 
riambus ; on which account some are accustomed to scan 
the line as a Dactylic Pentameter Catalectic ; as, 

JVEaece\nas ata\vis ]| edite | regibus. 

But this mode of scanning the verse is condemned by Te- 
rentianus. Horace uniformly adheres to the arrangement 
given above. Other poets, however, sometimes, though ve- 
ry rarely, make the first foot a dactyl. 

14. Choriambic Trimeter, or Glyconic 

The Glyconic verse (so called from the poet Glyco) con- 
sists of a spondee, a choriambus, and an iambus ; as, 

Sic te || diva, potens ] Cypri. 

But the first foot was sometimes varied to an iambus or a 
trochee ; as, 



METRES OF HORACE. XXV 

Bonis || crede fuga\cibus. (Boethius.) 
Vitis || implicat ar\bores. (Catullus.) 

Horace, however, who makes frequent use of this mea- 
sure, invariably uses the spondee in the first place. As the 
pause in this species of verse always occurs after the first 
foot, a Glyconic may hence be easily scanned as a Dactylic 
Trimeter, provided a spondee occupy the first place in the 
line; as, 

Sic te | diva, po\tens Cypri. 

15. Choriambic Trimeter Catalectic, or Pherecratic. 

The Pherecratic verse, (so called from the poet Phere- 
crates,) is the Glyconic (No. 14.) deprived of its final sylla- 
ble, and consists of a spondee, a choriambus, and a catalec- 
tic syllable ; as, 

Grato ] Pyrrhd sub dn\tro. 

Horace uniformly adheres to this arrangement, and hence 
in him it may be scanned as a Dactylic Trimeter : 

Grato | Pyrrhd sub \ dntro. 

Other poets, however, make the first foot sometimes a tro- 
chee or an anapaest, rarely an iambus. 

16. Choriambic Dimeter. 

The Choriambic Dimeter consists of a choriambus and a 
bacchius ; as, 

Lydid, dic ) | per omnls. 

This measure is also called, in Greek poetry, Aristopha- 
nic. 



METRES OF HORACE. 



17. Ionic a minore. 



Ionic verses are of two kinds, the Ionic a majore, and the 
Ionic a minore, called likewise Ionicus JWajor and Ionicus 
MJinor, and so denominated from the feet or measures of 
which they are respectively composed. 

The Ionic a minore is composed entirely of the foot or 
measure of that name, and which consists of a pyrrhic and 
a spondee, as docuissmt. It is not restricted to any particu- 
lar number of feet or measures, but may be extended to any 
length, provided only, that, with due attention to Synapheia, 
the final syllable of the spondee in each measure be either 
naturally long, or made long by the concourse of consonants ; 
and that each sentence or period terminate with a complete 
measure, having the spondee for its close. 

Horace has used this measure but once (Carm. 3. 12.), 
and great difference of opinion exists as to the true mode of 
arranging the ode in which it occurs. If we follow, how- 
ever, the authority of the ancient grammarians, and particu- 
larly of Terentianus Maurus, it will appear that the true divi- 
sion is into strophes ; and consequently that Cuningam (Ani- 
madv. in Horat. Benil. p. 315 ) is wrong in supposing that 
the ode in question was intended to run on in one continued 
train of independent tetrameters. Cuningam's ostensiblo 
reason for this arrangement is, that Martianus Capella (De 
JYupt. Philol. lib. 4. cap. ult.) has composed an Ionic poem 
divided into tetrameters : the true cause would appear to be 
his opposition to Bentley. This latter critic has distributed 
the ode into four strophes, each consisting of ten feet ; or, in 
other words, of two tetramaters followed by a dimeter. The 
strict arrangement, he remarks, would be into four lines 
merely, containing each ten feet ; but the size of the mo- 
dem page prevents this, of course, from being done. The 
scanning of the ode, therefo e, according to the division 
adopted by Bentley, will be as follows : 



METRES OF HORACE. XXVU 

•Miserarum est | neque amort | dare ludum, j neque dulci 
Mala vino I lavere, aut ex\animari, | metuentes 
Patruae ver\berd linguae. 

The arrangement, in other editions, is as follows : 

JVEiserarum est | neque amori \ dare ludum, 
Neque dulci | mala vino | lavere, aut ex- 

-animari | metuentes | patruae ver\bera linguae. 

Others again have the following scheme : 

Miserarum est | neque amori | dare ludum, 
Neque dulci | mala vino j lavere, aut ex- 

-animari | metuentes | patruae 
Verbera | linguae, &c. 

Both of these, however, are justly condemned by Bentley. 

18. Greater Alcaic. 

This metre, so called from the poet Alcaeus, consists of 
two feet, properly both iambi, and a long catalectic syllable, 
followed by a choriambus and an iambus ; the caesural 
pause always falling after the catalectic syllable ; as, 

Vides | id al\ta [| stet nive cdn\didum. 

But the first foot of the iambic portion is alterable of 
course to a spondee, and Horace much more frequently has 
a spondee than an iambus in this place ; as, 

5 ma\tre pul\chrci \\ filia pul\chrior. 

The Alcaic verse is sometimes scanned with two dactyls 
in the latter member ; as, 

Vides | ut al\ta || stet nive | candidum. 



xxvm metres of horace. 

19. Archilochian Heptameter. 

This species of versfi consists of two members, the first a 
Dactylic Tetrameter a priore (vid. No. 2. in noiis.), and the 
latter a Trochaic Dimeter Brachycatalectic : that is, the first 
portion of the line contains four feet from the beginning of a 
Dactylic Hexameter, the fourth being always a dactyl ; and 
the latter portion consists of three trochees ; as, 

Solvitur | acris hy\ems gra\ta vice j| verts | et Fa\voni. 

20. Minor Alcaic. 

This metre consists of two dactyls followed by two tro- 
chees ; as, 

Levia | personu\ere | saxa. 

21. Dactylico-Iambic. 

This measure occurs in the 2d, 4th, and other even lines 
of the 11th Epode of Horace, as it is arranged in this edi- 
tion. The first part of the verse is a Dactylic Trimeter Cata- 
lectic (No. 3.), the latter part is an Iambic Dimeter (No. 7.) ; 
as, 

Scribere | versicu\los || amo\re per\culsum j gravi. 

One peculiarity attendant on this metre will need expla- 
nation. In consequence of the union of two different kinds 
of verse into one line, a license is allowed the poet with re- 
gard to the final syllable of the first verse, both in length- 
ening short syllables, and preserving vowels from elision ; as, 

Epod. 11. line 6. Inachia furere, silvis, &c. 

— 10. Jlrguit, et latere petitus, &c. 

— 26. Libera consilia, nee, &c. 

■ — 14. Fervidiore mero arcana, &c. 

— 24. Vincere mollitia, amor, &c. 



METRES OF HORACE. XXIX 

Hence, lines thus composed of independent metres are 
called d<ftjva£<nj<roi ) or inconnexi, on account of this medial li- 
cense. Archilochus, according, to Hephajstion, was the first 
who employed them. (Bentley, ad Epod. II.) Many edi- 
tions, however, prefer the simpler though less correct divi- 
sion into distinct measures ; as, 

Scribere | versicu\los 
Amo\re per\\culsum | gravi. 

22. Iambico-Dactylic 

This measure occurs in the 2d, 4th, and other even lines 
of the 13th Epode of Horace, as it is arranged in this edi- 
tion. The first part of the verse is an Iambic Dimeter (No. 
7), the latter part is a Dactylic Trimeter Catalectic (No. 3). 
It is therefore directly the reverse of the preceding. 

Occa\sw\nhn de | die : || dumque vi\rent geniila. 

The license mentioned in the preceding measure, takes 
place also in this ; as, 

Epod. 13. line 8. Reducet in sedem vice. Nunc, &c. 

— 10. Levare diris pectora sollicitudinibus. 

— 14. Findunt Scamandri flumina, lubricus, &c. 

These lines are also, like those mentioned in the preceding 
section, called dtfuva^ro', or, inconnexi. Many editions pre- 
fer the following arrangement, which has simplicity in its fa- 
vour, but not strict accuracy : 

Occa\sio\\nem de | die; 
Dumque vi\rent genu[d. 



Z*> 



METRICAL ItfDEX 



LYRIC COMPOSITIONS OF HORACE * 



JEM, Vetusto, 18, 13, 8, 20. 

^Equam memento, 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Albi, ne doleas, 13,13,13,14. 

Altera jam teritur, 1, 5. 

Angustam, amice, 18, 18, 8, 20. 

At, O Deorum, 5, 7. 

Audivere, Lyce, 13, 13, 15, 14. 

Bacchum in remotis, - - - - 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Beatus ille, - ' - - - 5, 7. 

Coelo supinas, - - - ' - - 18, IS, 8, 20. 

Coelo tonantem, 18,18, 8,20. 

Cum, tu, Lydia, 14, 13. 

Cur me querelis, - - - - -18,18, 8,20 

Delicta majorum, 18, IS, 8, 20. 

Descende coelo, 18, 18, 8, 20, 

Dianam, tenerae, - - - - - 13, 13, 15, 14. 

Diffugere nives, 1,3. 

Dive, quern proles, 10, 10, 10, 4 

Divis orte bonis, - - - - - 13, 13, 13, 14 

Donarem pateras, - - - - - 13. 



* The numbers refer to the several metres, as they have just been ex- 
plained. Thus, in the ode beginning with the words 2EU, Vetusto, the 
first and second lines of each stanza are Greater Alcaics (No. 18), the 
third line is an Iambic Dimeter (No. 8), and the last line a Minor Alcaic 
(No. 20), and so of the rest. 



METRICAL INDEX. 



Donee gratus eram tibi, 
Eheu ! fugaces, 
Est mihi nonum, 
Et thure et fidibus, - 
Exegi monimentum, 
Extremum Tanain, 
Faune, Nympharum, 
Festo quid potius die, 
Herculis ritu, - 
Honida tempestas, - 
Ibis Liburnis, - 
Icci, beatis, 
Ille et nefasto, 
Impios parrae, 
Inclusam Danaen, - 
Intactis opulentior, - 
Integer vitae, - 
Intermissa, Venus, - 
Jam jam efficaci, 
Jam pauca aratro, - 
Jam satis terris, 
Jam veris comites, - 
Justum et tenacem, - 
Laudabunt alii, 
Lupis et agnis, 
Lydia, die, per omnes, 
Maecenas atavis, 
Mala soluta, - 
Martiis coelebs, 
Mater saeva Cupidinum, 
Mercuri, facunde, - 
Mercuri, nam te, 
Miserarum est, 
Mollis inertia, 
Montium custos, 
Motum ex Metello, - 



14, 13. 




18, 18, 8, 


20. 


10, 10, 10, 


4. 


14, 13. 




14. 




13, 13, 13, 


14 


10, 10, 10, 


4. 


14, 13. 




10, 10, 10, 


4. 


1, 22. 




5, 7. 




IS, 18, 8, 


20, 


18, 18, 8, 


20. 


10, 10, 10, 


4. 


13, 13, 13, 


14. 


14, 13. 




10, 10, 10, 


4 


14, 13. 




5. 




18, 18, 8, 


20, 


10, 10, 10, 


4. 


13, 13, 13, 


14. 


18, 18, 8, 


20, 


1, 2. 




5, 7. 




16, 12. 




13. 




5, 7. 




10, 10, 10, 


,4 


14, 13. 




10, 10, 10, 


4. 


10, 10, 10, 


4. 


17. 




1, 7. 




10, 10, 10, 


4. 


18, 18, 8, 


20., 



XXXll METRICAL INDEX. 

Musis amicus, 18, 18, 8, 20, 

Natisinusum, 18,18, 8,20. 

Ne forte credas, 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Ne sit ancillae, .... . io, 10, 10, 4, 

Nolis longa ferae, 13, 13, 13, 14. 

Nondum subacta, 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Non ebur, neque, - - - - - 9, 6. 

Non semper imbres, - - - -' 18,18, 8,20. 

Non usitata, IS, 18, 8, 20. 

Non vides quanto, 10, 10, 10, 4. 

Noxerat, 1, 7. 

Nullam, Vare, 11. 

Nullus argento, 10, 10, 10, 4. 

Nunc est bibendum, 18,18, 8,20. 

O crudelis adhuc, 11. 

O Diva, gratum, 18, 18, 8, 20. 

O fons Bandusiae, 13, 13, 15, 14. 

O matre pulchra, 18, 18, 8, 20. 

O nata mecum, IS, 18, 8, 20. 

O navis, referunt, ..... 13, 13, 15, 14. 

O saepe mecum, - - - - - 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Venus, regina, 10, 10, 10, 4 

Odi profanum, 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Otium Divos, - - . - - - - 10, 10, 10, 4. 

Parcius junctas, 10,10,10, 4. 

Parous Deorum, 18, IS, 8, 20. 

Parentis olim, 5, 7. 

Pastor quum traher$ v - - - 13, 13, 13, 14. 

Persicos odi, - - - - - - 10, 10, 10, 4. 

Pecti, nihil me, - - - - - 5, 21. 

Phoebe, sylvarumque, - - - - 10, 10, 10, 4. 

Phoebus volentem, - - - - - 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Pindarum quisquisj - - - - - 10, 10, 10, 4. 

Poscimur: si quid, - - - - - 10,10,10, 4. 

Q,nae cura patrum, - - - - - 18, 18, 8, 20. 

Q,ualem ministrum, - - - - - 18, 18, 8, 20. 



METRICAL INDEX. 



Gluando repostum, 
Quantum distet, 
Quern tu, Melpoinei 
Quern virum, - 
Quid bellicosus, 
Quid dedicatum, 
Quid fles, Asterie, 
Quid immerentes, 
Quid obseratis, 
Quid tibi vis, - 
Quis desiderio, 
Quis multa gracilis, 
Quo, me, Bacche, 
Quo, quo, scelesti, 
Rectius vives,_ 
Rogare longo, 
Scriberis Vario, 
Septimi Gades, 
Sic te, Diva, - 
Solvitur acris hyems 
Te maris et terrae. 
Tu ne quaesieris, 
Tyrrhena regum, 
Ulla si juris, - 
Uxor pauperis Ibyci 
Velox amoenum, 
Vide's ut alta, - 
Vile potabis, - 
Vitas hinnuleo, 
Vixi puellis, - 



5, 
14, 
14, 
10, 
IS, 
18, 
13, 

5, 

5. 

1, 
13, 
13, 
14, 

5, 
10, 

5 , 
13, 
10, 
14, 

19, 

1, 

11. 

18, 

10, 
14, 
18, 
IS, 
10, 
13, 
18, 



Q. HORATn FLACCI 

CARMINDM 

LIBER PRIMUS. 



Carmen I. 
AD MAECENATEM. 



Maecenas atavis edite regibus, 

O et praesidium et dulce decus meum, 

Sunt, quos curriculo pulverem Olympicum 

Collegisse juvat, metaque fervidis 

Evitata rotis palmaque nobilis 5 

Terrarum dominos evehit ad Deos. 

Hunc, si mobilium turba Gluiritium 

Certat tergeminis tollere honoribus : 

Ilium, si proprio condidit horreo 

Gluidquid de Libycis verritur areis. 10 

Gatidentem patrios findere sarculo 

Agros, Attalicis conditionibus 

Nunquam demoveas, ut trabe Cjpria 

Myrtoum pavidus nauta secet mare. 

Luctantem Icariis fluctibus Africum 15 

Mercator metuens otium et oppidi 

Laudat rura sui : mox reficit rates 

Gluassas, indocilis pauperiem pati. 

Est, qui nee veteris pocula Massici, 

Nee partem solido demere de die 20 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Spernit, nunc viridi membra sub arbuto 

Stratus, nunc ad aquae lene caput sacrae. 

Multos castra juvant, et lituo tubae 

Permixtus sonitus, bellaque matribus 

Detestata. Manet sub Jove frigido 25 

Venator, tenerae conjugis immemor, 

Seu visa est catulis cerva fidelibus, 

Seu rupit teretes Marsus aper plagas. 

Me doctarum ederae praemia frontium 

Dis miscent superis : me gelidum nemus 30 

Nympharumque leves cum Satyris chori 

Secernunt populo : si neque tibias 

Euterpe cohibet, nee Polyhymnia 

Lesboum refugit tendere barbiton. 

Quod si me lyricis vatibus inseris, 35 

Sublimi feriam sidera vertice. 

Carmen II. 

AD AUGUSTUM CAESAREM. 

Jam satis terris nivis atque dirae 
Grandinis misit Pater, et, rubente 
Dextera sacras jaculatus arces, 
Terruit urbem : 

Terruit gentes, grave ne rediret 5 

Saeculum Pyrrhae nova monstra questae ; 
Omne quum Proteus pecus egit altos 
Visere montes, 

Piscium et summa genus haesit ulmo, 
Nota quae sedes fuerat palumbis, 10 

Et superjecto pavidae natarunt 
Aequore damae. 

Vidimus flavum Tiberim, retortis 
Litoie Etrusco violenter undis, 



CARMTNUM. LIB. I. 2. 3 

Ire dejectum monimenta Regis, 15 

Templaque Vestae, 

Iliae dum se nimium querenti 
Jactat ultorem, vagus et sinistra 
Labitur ripa, Jove non probante, u- 

xorius amnis. 20 

Audiet cives acuisse ferrum, 
Q,uo graves Persae melius perirent ; 
Audiet pugnas, vitio parentum 
Rara, juventus. 

Quern vocet Divum populus ruentis 25 

Imperi rebus 1 prece qua fatigent 
Virgines sanctae minus audientem 
Carmina Vestam ? 

Cui dabit partes scelus expiandi 
Jupiter 1 Tandem venias, precamur, 30 

Nube candentes humeros amictus, 
Augur Apollo ; 

Sive tu mavis, Erycina ridens, 
Q,uam Jocus circum volat et Cupido ; 
Sive neglectum genus et nepotes 35 

Respicis, auctor, 

Heu ! nimis longo satiate ludo, 
Q,uem juvat clamor galeaeque leves, 
Acer et Marsi peditis cruentum 

Vultus in hostem ; 40 

Sive mutata juvenem figura, 
Ales, in terris imitaris, almae 
Filius Maiae, patiens vocari 
Caesaris ultor : 
4 



Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Serus in coelum redeas, diuque 45 

Laetus intersis populo Q,uirini, 
Neve te, nostris vitiis iniquum, 
Ocior aura 

Tollat : hie magnos potius triumphos, 
Hie ames dici Pater atque Princeps, 50 

Neu sinas Medos equitare inultos, 
Te duce, Caesar. 

Carmen III. 
AD VIRGILIUM. 

Sic te Diva, potens Cypri, 

Sic fratres Helenae, lucida sidera, 
Ventorumque regat pater, 

Obstrictis aliis praeter Iapyga, 
Navis, quae tibi creditum 5 

Debes Virgilium finibus Atticis, 
Reddas incolumem, precor, 

Et serves animae dimidium meae. 
Illi robur et aes triplex 

Circa pectus erat, qui fragilem truci 10 

Commisit pelago ratem 

Primus, nee timuit praecipitem Africum 
Decertantem Aquilonibus, 

Nee tristes Hyadas, nee rabiem Noti, 
Gluo non arbiter Adriae 15 

Major, tollere seu ponere vult freta. 
Gluem Mortis timuit gradum, 

Q,ui rectis oculis monstra natantia, 
Q,ui vidit mare turgidum et 

Infames scopulos Acroceraunia ? 20 

Nequidquam Deus abscidit 

Prudens Oceano dissociabili 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 4. 5 

Terras, si tamen impiae 

Non tangenda rates transsiliunt vada. 
Audax omnia perpeti 25 

Gens humana ruit per vetitum et nefas. 
Atrox Iapeti genus 

Ignem fraude mala gentibus intulit : 
Post ignem aetheria domo 

Subductum, Macies et nova Febrium 30 

Terris incubuit cohors : 

Semotique prius tarda necessitas 
Leti corripuit gradum. 

Expertus vacuum Daedalus aera 
Pennis non homini datis. 35 

Perrupit Acheronta Herculeus labor. 
Nil mortalibus arduum est : 

Coelum ipsum petimus stultitia : neque 
Per nostrum patimur scelus 

Iracunda Jovem ponere fulmina. 40 



Carmen IV. 
AD L. SEXTIUM. 

Solvitur acris hiems grata vice veris et Favoni, 

Trahuntque siccas machinae carinas. 
Ac neque jam stabulis gaudet pecus, aut arator igni ; 

Nee prata canis albicant pruinis. 
Jam Cytherea choros ducit Venus, imminente Luna : 5 

Junctaeque Nymphis Gratiae decentes 
Alterno terram quatiunt pede ; dum graves Cyclopum 

Vulcanus ardens urit officinas. 
Nunc decet aut viridi nitidum caput impedire myrto, 

Aut flore, terrae quern ferunt solutae. 10 

Nunc et in umbrosis Fauno decet immolare lucis, 

Seu poscat agna, sive malit haedo. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Pallida Mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas 

Regumque turres. O beate Sexti, 
Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat inchoart longam. 15 

Jam te premet nox, fabulaeque Manes, 
Et domus exilis Plutonia : quo simul mearis, 

Nee regna vini sortiere talis, 
Nee tenerum Lycidan mirabere, quo ealet iuventus 

Nunc omnis et mox virgines tepebunt. 

Carmen V. 

AD PYRRHAM. 

Q,uis multa gracilis te puer in rosa 
Perfusus liquidis urguet odoribus 
Grato, Pyrrha, sub antro 1 
Cui flavam religas comam 

Simplex munditiis % Heu ! quoties fidem 5 

Mutatosque Deos flebit, et aspera 
Nigris aequora ventis 
Emirabitur insolens, 

Q,ui nunc te fruitur credulus aurea ; 
Q,ui semper vacuam, semper amabilem 10 

Sperat, nescius aurae 
Fallacis. Miseri, quibus 

Intentata nites ! Me tabula sacer 
Votiva paries indicat uvida 

Suspendisse potenti 15 

Vestimenta maris Deo. 



CARMlNUM. LIB. I. 6. 7. 7 

Carmen VI. 

AD AGRIPPAM. 

Scriberis Vario fortis et hostium 
Victor, Maeonii carminis aliti, 
Gluam rem eunque ferox navibus aut equis 
Miles, te duce, gesserit. 

Nos, Agrippa, neque haec dicere, nee gravem 5 

Pelidae stomachum cedere nescii, 
Nee cursus duplicis per mare Ulixei, 
Nee saevam Pelopis domum 

Conamur, tenues grandia : dum pudor 
Imbellisque lyrae Musa potens vetat 10 

Laudes egregii Caesaris et tuas 
Culpa deterere ingent. 

Gluis Martem tunica tectum adamantine. 
Digne scripserit 1 aut pulvere Tro'io 
Nigrum Merionen 1 aut ope Palladis 15 

Tjdiden Superis parem ? 

Nos convivia, nos proelia virginum 
Sectis in juvenes unguibus acrium 
Cantamus, vacui, sive quid urimur, 

Non praeter solitum leves. 20 

Carmen VII. 
AD MUNATIUM PLANCUM. 

Laudabunt alii claram Rhodon, aut Mitylenen, 

Aut Epheson, bimarisve Corinthi 

Moenia, vel Baccho Thebas, vel Apolline Delphos 

Insignes, aut Thessala Tempc. 
4* 



8 ft. HORATII FLACCI 

Sunt, quibus unum opus est, intactae Palladis arces 5 

Carmine perpetuo celebrare, 
Indeque decerptam fronti praeponere olivam. 

Plurimus, in Junonis honorem, 
Aptum dicit equis Argos, ditesque Mycenas. 

Me nee tarn patiens Lacedaemon, 10 

Nee tam Larissae percussit campus opimae, 

GLuam domus Albuneae resonantis, 
Et praeceps Anio, ac Tiburni lucus, et uda 

Mobibbus pomaria rivis. 
Albus ut obscuro deter get nubila coelo 15 

Saepe Notus, neque parturit imbres 
Perpetuos : sic tu sapiens finire memento 

Tristitiam vitaeque labores 
Molb, Plance, mero : seu te fulgentia signis 

Castra tenent, seu densa tenebit 20 

Tiburis umbra tui. Teucer Salamina patremque 

Gluum fugeret, tamen uda Lyaeo 
Tempora populea fertur vinxisse corona, 

Sic tristes afFatus amicos : 
Q,uo nos cunque feret melior For tuna parente, 25 

lbimus, o socii comitesque ! 
Nil desperandum Teucro duce et auspice Teucro ; 

Certus enim promisit Apollo 
Ambiguam tellure nova Salamina futuram. 

O fortes, pejoraque passi 30 

Mecum saepe viri, nunc vino pellite curas : 

Cras ingens iterabimus aequor. 



CARMINUM. L!B. , 8. 9. 9 

Carmen VIII. 
AD LYDIAM. 

Lydia die, per omnes 

Te deos oro, Sybarin cur properas amando 
Perdere 1 cur apricum 

Oderit campum, patiens pulveris atque solis 1 
Cur neque militaris 5 

Inter aequales equitat, Gallica nee lupatis 
Temperat ora frenis 1 

Cur timet flavum Tiberim tangere ? cur olivum 
Sanguine viperino 

Cautius vitat ? neque jam livida gestat armis 10 

Brachia, saepe disco, 

Saepe trans finem jaculo nobilis expedito 1 
Quid latet, ut marinae 

Filium dicunt Thetidis sub lacrimosa Trojae 
Funera, ne virilis 15 

Cultus in caedem et Lycias proriperet catervas ? 

Carmen IX. 
AD THALIARCHUM. 

Vides, ut alta stet nive candidum 
Soracte, nee jam sustineant onus 
Silvae laborantes, geluque 
Flumina constiterint acuto I 

Dissolve frigus, ligna super foco S 

Large reponens ; atque benignius 
Deprome quadrimum Sabina, 
O Thaliarche, merum diota. 



10 ft. HORATII FLAOCI 

Permitte Divis caetera : qui simul 
Stravere ventos aequore fervido 10 

Deproeliantes, nee cupressi 
Nee veteres agitantur orni. 

Q-uid sit futurum eras, fuge quaerere : et 
Q,uem Fors dierum cunque dabit, lucro 

Appone : nee dulces amores 15 

Sperne puer, neque tu choreas, 

Donee virenti canities abest 
Morosa. Nunc et Campus et areae, 
Lenesque sub noctem susurri 

Composita repetantur hora : 20 

Nunc et latentis proditor intimo 
Gratus puellae risus ab angulo, 
Pignusque dereptum lacertis 
Aut digito male pertinaci. 



Carmen X. 

AD MERCURIUM. 

Mercuri, facunde nepos Atlantis, 
Q,ui feros cultus hominum recentum 
Voce formasti catus et decorae 
More palaestrae : 

Te canam, magni Jo vis et deorum 5 

Nuntium, curvaeque lyrae parentem ; 
Callidum, quidquid placuit, jocoso 
Condere furto. 

Te, boves olim nisi reddidisses 
Per dolum amotas, puerum minaci 10 

Voce dum terret, viduus pharetra 
Risit Apollo. 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 11. 12. 11 

Gluin et Atridas, duce te, superbos, 
Ilio dives Priamus relicto 

Thessalosque ignes et iniqua Trojae 15 

Castra fefellit. 

Tu pias laetis animas reponis 
Sedibus, virgaque levem coerces 
Aurea turbam, superis deorum 

Gratus et imis. 20 



Carmen XI. 

AD LEUCONOEN. 

Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quern mihi, quern tibi 
Finem dt dederint, Leuconoe ; nee Babylonios 
Tentaris numeros. Ut melius, quidquid erit, pati ! 
Seu plures hiemes, seu tribuit Jupiter ultimam, 
Quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumici us mare 
Tyrrhenum. Sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevi 
Spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit invida 
Aetas. Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. 



Carmen XII. 

AD AUGUSTUM. 

Q,uem virum aut heroa lyra vel acri 
Tibia sumis celebrare, CHo ? 
Q,uem deum 1 cujus recinet jocosa 
Nomen imago, 

Aut in umbrosis Heliconis oris, 
Aut super Pindo, gelidove in Haemo. 
Unde vocalem temere insecutae 
Orphea silvae. 



12 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Arte materna rapidos morantem 
Fluminum lapsus celeresque ventos, 10 

Blandum et auritas fidibus canons 
Ducere quercus. 

Gluid prius dicam solitis Parentis 
Laudibus 1 qui res hominum ac deorum, 
Q,ui mare ac terras, variisque mundum 15 

Temperat horis : 

Unde nil majus generatur ipso, 

Nee viget quidquam simile aut secundum : 

Proximos illi tamen occupavit 

Pallas honores. 20 

Proeliis audax, neque te silebo, 
Liber, et saevis inimica Virgo 
Belluis : nee te, metuende certa 
Phoebe sagitta. 

Dicam et Alciden, puerosque Ledae, 25 

Hunc equis, ilium superare pugnis 
Nobilem : quorum simul alba nautis 
Stella refulsit, 

Defluit saxis agitatus humor, 

Concidunt venti, fugiuntque nubes, 30 

Et minax, nam sic voluere, ponto 
Unda recumbit. 

Romulum post hos prius, an quietum 
Pompili regnum memorem, an superbos 
Tarquint fasces, dubito, an Catonis 35 

Nobile letum. 

Regulum, et Scauros, animaeque magnae 
Prodigum Paullum, superante Poeno, 
Gratus insigni referam Camena, 

Fabriciumque. 40 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 13 13 

Hunc, et incomtis Curium capillis, 
Utilem bello tulit, et Camillum, 
Saeva paupertas et avitus apto 
Cum lare fundus. 

Crescit, occulto velut arbor aevo, 45 

Fama Marcelli : micat inter omnes 
Julium sidus, velut inter ignes 
Luna minor es. 

Gentis humanae pater atque custos, 
Orte Saturno, tibi cura magni 50 

Caesaris fatis data ; tu secundo 
Caesare regnes. 

Ille, seu Parthos Latio imminentes 
Egerit justo domitos triumpho, 
Sive subjectos Orientis orae 55 

Seras et Indos. 

Te minor latum regat aequus orbem • 
Tu gravi curru quatias Olympum ; 
Tu parum castis inimica mittas 

Fulmina lucis. 60 



Carmen XIII. 
AD LYDIAM. 

Gluum tu, Lydia, Telephi 

Cervicem roseam, cerea Telephi 
Laudas brachia, vae, meum 

Fervens difficili bile tumet jecur. 
Tunc nee mens mihi nee color 

Certa sede manent : humor et in genas 
Furtim labitur, arguens 

Gluam lentis penitus macerer ignibus. 



14 0.. HORATII FLACCI 

Uror, seu tibi candidos 

Turparunt humeros immodicae mero 
Rixae, sive puer furens 

Impressit memorem dente labris notam. 
Non, si me satis audias, 

Speres perpetuum, dulcia barbare 
Laedentem oscula, quae Venus 

Gluinta parte sui nectaris imbuit. 
Felices ter et amplius, 

duos irrupta tenet copula, nee malis 
Divulsus querimoniis 

Suprema citius solvet amor die. 



Carmen XIV. 

AD REMPUBLICAM. 

O navis, referunt in mare te novi 
Fluctus ! O quid agis ? fortiter occupa 
Portum. Nonne vides, ut 
Nudum remigio latus 1 

Et malus celeri saucius Africo 5 

Antennaeque gemunt : ac sine funibus 
Vix durare carinae 
Possunt imperiosius 

Aequor. Non tibi sunt mtegra lintea, 
Non di, quos iterum pressa voces malo : 10 

Quamvis Pontica pinus, 
Silvae filia nobilis, 

Jactes et genus et nomen inutile. 
Nil pictis timidus navita puppibus 

Fidit. Tu, nisi ventis 15 

Debes ludibrium. cave. 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. lb. 15 

Nuper sollicitum quae mihi taedium, 
Nunc desiderium curaque non levis, 
Intexfusa nitentes 

Vites aequora Cycladas. 20 



Carmen XV. 

NEREI VATICINIUM DE EXCIDIO TROJAE. 

Pastor quum traheret per freta navibus 
Idaeis Helenen perfidus hospitam, 
Ingrato celeres obruit otio 
Ventos, ut caneret fera 

Nereus fata : Mala ducis avi domum, 5 

&uam multo repetet Graecia milite, 
Conjurata tuas rumpere nuptias 
Et regnum Priami vetus. 

Heu, heu ! quantus equis, quantus adest viris 
Sudor ! quanta moves funera Dardanae 10 

Genti ! Jam galeam Pallas et aegida 
Currusque et rabiem parat. 

Nequidquam, Veneris praesidio ferox, 
Pectes caesariem, grataque feminis 
Imbelli cithara carmina divides : 15 

Nequidquam thalamo graves 

■Hastas et calami spicula Gnossii 
Vitabis, strepitumque, et celerem sequi 
Ajacem : tamen, heu, serus adulteros 

Crines pulvere collines. 20 

Non Laertiaden, exitium tuae 
Genti, non Pylium Nestora respicis 1 
Urguent impavidi te Salaminius 
Teucer, te Sthenelus sciens 
5 



16 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Pugnae, sive opus est imperitare equis, 
Non auriga piger. Merionen quoque 
Nosces. Ecce furit te reperire atrox 
Tydides, melior patre : 

Quem tu, cervus uti vallis in altera 
Visum parte lupum graminis immemor, 
Sublimi fugies mollis anhelitu ; 
Non hoc pollicitus tuae. 

Iracunda diem proferet Ilio 
Matronisque Phrygum classis Achillei ; 
Post certas hiemes uret Achaius 
Ignis Pergameas domos. 

Carmen XVI. 

P A L I N D I A. 

O matre pulchra filia pulchrior, 
Quern criminosis cunque voles modum 
Pones iambis ; sive flamma 
Sive mari libet Adriano. 

Non Dindymene, non adytis quatit 
Mentem sacerdotum incola Pythius, 
Non Liber aeque, non acuta 
Si geminant Corybantes aera, 

Tristes ut irae ; quas neque Noricus 
Deterret ensis, nee mare naufragum, 10| 

Nee saevus ignis, nee tremendo 
Jupiter ipse ruens tumultu. 

Fertur Prometheus, addere principi 
Limo coactus particulam undique 
Desectam, et insani leonis 

Vim stomacho apposuisse nostro. 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 17. ]7 

frae Thyesten exitio gravi 
Stravere, et altis urbibus ultimae 
Stetere causae, cur perirent 

Funditus, imprimeretque muris 20 

Hostile aratrum exercitus insolens. 
Compesce mentem : me quoque pectoris 
Tentavit in dulci juventa 
Fervor, et in celeres iambos 

Misit furentem : nunc ego mitibus 25 

Mutare quaero tristia ; dum mihi 
Fias recantatis arnica 

Opprobriis, animumque reddas. 



Carmen XVII. 

AD TYNDARIDEM. 

Velox amoenum saepe Lucretilem 
Mutat Lycaeo Faunus, et igneam 
Defendit aestatem capellis 

Usque meis pulviosque ventos. 

Impune tutum per nemus arbutos 5 

Quaerunt latentes et thyma deviae 
Olentis uxores mariti : 

Nee virides metuunt colubras, 

Nee Martiales haeduleae lupos : 
Utcunque dulci, Tyndari, fistula 10 

Valles et Usticae cubantis 
Laevia personuere saxa. 

Dt me tuentur : dts pietas mea 
Et Musa cordi est. Hie tibi copia 

Manabit ad plenum benigno 15 

Ruris honorum opulenta comu. 



18 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Hie in reducta valle Canicular 
Vitabis aestus : et fide Teia 
Dices laborantes in uno 

Penelopen vitreamque Circen. 20 

Hie innocentis pocula Lesbii 
Duces sub umbra : nee Semeleius 
Cum Marte confundet Thyoneus 
Proelia : nee metues protervum 

Suspecta Cyrum, ne male dispari 25 

Incontinentes injiciat manus, 
Et scindat haerentem coronam 

Crinibus, immeritamque vestem. 

Carmen XVIII. 
AD VARUM. 

Nullam, Vare, sacra vite prius sevens arborem 

Circa mite solum Tiburis et moenia Catili. 

Siccis omnia nam dura deus proposuit ; neque 

Mordaces aliter diffugiunt sollicitudines. 

Q,uis post vina gravem militiam aut pauperiem crepat 1 5 

Q,uis non te potius, Bacche pater, teque, decens Venus ? 

At ne quis modici transsiliat munera Liberi, 

Centaurea monet cum Lapithis rixa super mero 

Debellata ; monet Sithoniis non levis Euius, 

duum fas atque nefas exiguo fine libidinum 10 

Discernunt avidi. Non ego te, candide Bassareu, 

Invitum quatiam : nee variis obsita frondibus 

Sub divum rapiam. Saeva tene cum Berecyntio 

Cornu tympana, quae subsequitur caecus Amor sui, 

Et tollens vacuum plus nimio Gloria verticem, 15 

Arcanique Fides prodiga, perlucidior vitro. 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 19. 20. 19 



Carmen XIX. 

DE GLYCERA. 

Mater saeva Cupidinum, 

Thebanaeque jubet me Semeles puer 
Et lasciva Licentia, 

Finitis animum reddere amoribusi 
Urit me Glycerae nitor 5 

Splendentis Pario marmore purius 
Urit grata protervitas, 

Et vultus nimium lubricus adspici. 
In me tota mens Venus 

Cyprum desernit ; nee patitur Scythas, 10 

Et versis animosum equis 

Parthum dicere, nee quae nihil attinent. 
Hie vivum mihi cespitem, hie 

Verbenas, pueri, ponite, thuraque 
Bimi cum patera men : 15 

Mactata veniet lenior hostia. 



Carmen XX. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Vile potabis modicis Sabinum 
Cantharis, Graeca quod ego ipse testa 
Conditum levi, datus in theatro 
Q,uum tibi plausus, 

Care Maecenas eques, ut paterni 
Fluminis ripae, simul et jocosa 
Reddere t laudes tibi Vaticani 
Montis imago. 
5* 



20 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Caecubam et prelo domitam Caleno 
Tu bibes uvam : mea nee Falemae 10 

Temperant vites, neque Formiani 
Pocula colles. 



Carmen XXI. 
IN DIANAM ET APOLLINEM. 

Dianam tenerae dicite virgines : 
Intonsum, pueri, dicite Cynthium : 
Latonamque supremo 
Dilectam penitus Jovi. 

Vos laetam fluviis et nemorum coma, 
Quaecunque aut gelido prominet Algido, 
Nigris aut Erymanthi 
Silvis, aut viridis Cragi 

Vos Tempe totidem tolbte laudibus, 
Natalemque, mares, Delon Apollinis, 10 

Insignemque pharetra 

Fraternaque humerum lyra. 

Hie bellum lacrimosum, hie miseram famem 
Pestemque a populo, principe Caesare, in 

Persas atque Britannos 15 

Vestra motus aget prece. 



Carmen XXII. 
AD ARISTIUM FUSCUM. 

Integer vitae scelerisqne purus 
Non eget Mauris jaculis, neque areu, 
Nee venenatis gravida sagittis, 
Fusee, pharetra : 



CARM1NUM. LIB. I. 23. 21 

Sive per Syrtes iter aestuosas, 5 

Sive facturus per inhospitalem 
Caucasum, vel quae loca fabulosus 
Lambit Hydaspes. 

Namque me silva lupus in Sabina, 
Dum meam canto Lalagen, et ultra 10 

Terminum curis vagor expeditis, 
Fugit inermem. 

Quale portentum neque militaris 
Daunias latis alit aesculetis, 
Nee Jubae tellus generat, leonum 15 

Arida nutrix. 

Pone me, pigris ubi nulla campis 
Arbor aestiva recreatur aura ; 
Quod latus mundi nebulae malusque 

Jupiter urguet : 20 

Pone sub curru nimium propinqui 
Solis, in terra domibus negata : 
Dulce ridentem Lalagen amabo, 
Dulce loquentem. 

Carmen XXIII. 

AD CHLOEN. 

Vitas hinnuleo me similis, Chloe, 
duaerenti pavidam montibus aviis 
Matrem, non sine vano 
Aurarum et siluae metu. 

Nam seu mobilibus vepris inhorruit 5 

Ad ventum foliis, sei* virides rubum 
Dimovere lacertae, 

Et corde et genibus tremit. 



22 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Atqui non ego te, tigris ut aspera 
Gaetulusve leo, frangere persequor : 10 

Tandem desine matrem 
Tempestiva sequi viro. 

Carmen XXIV. 

AD VIRGILIUM. 

Q,uis desiderio sit pudor aut modus 
Tarn cari capitis ? Praecipe lugubres 
Cantus, Melpomene, cui liquidam Pater 
Vocem cum cithara dedit. 

Ergo duinctilium perpetuus sopor 5 

Urguet ! cui Pudor, et Justitiae soror, 
Incorrupta Fides, nudaque Veritas 
Gluando ullum inveniet parem ? 

Multis ille bonis flebilis occidit : 
Nulli flebilior, quam tibi, Virgili. 10 

Tu frustra pius, heu ! non ita creditum 
Poscis duinctilium deos. 

Gluod si Threicio blandius Orpheo 
Auditam moderere arboribus fidem, 
Non vanae redeat sanguis imagini, 15 

Gluam virga semel horrida, 

Non lenis precibus fata recludere, 

Nigro compulerit Mercurius gregi. • 

Durum ! Sed levius fit patientia, 

Cluidquid corrigere est nefas. 20 



CARMINTTM. LIB. I. 25. 26. 23 

Carmen XXV. 

AD LYDIAM. 

Parcius junctas quatiunt fenestras 
Ictibus crebris juvenes protervi, 
Nee tibi somnos adimunt : amatque 
Janua limen, 

Quae prius multum facilis movebat 5 

Carolines. Audis minus et minus jam 
JVfe tuo longas pereunte nodes, 
Lydia, dormis ? 

Invicem moechos anus arrogantes 
Flebis in solo levis angiportu ; 10 

Thracio bacchante magis sub inter- 
lunia vento : 

Quum tibi fiagrans amor, et libido, 
Quae solet matres furiare equorum, 
Saeviet circa jecur ulcerosum ; 15 

Non sine questu, 

Laeta quod pubes hedera virenti 
Gaudeat pulla magis atque myito : 
Aridas frondes Hiemis sodali 
Dedicet Euro. 

Carmen XXVI. 

DE AELIO LAMIA. 

Musis amicus, tristitiam et metus 
Tradam protervis in mare Creticum 
Portare ventis : quis sub Arcto 
Rex gelidae metuatur orae, 



24 Q. HOttATII FLACCI 

Quid Teridaten ten-eat, unice 5 

Securus. O, quae fontibus integris 
Gaudes, apricos necte flores, 
Necte meo Lamiae coronam, 

Pimple'i dulcis ; nil sine te mei 
Possunt honores : hunc fidibus novis, 10 

Hunc Lesbio sacrare plectro, 
Teque tuasque decet sorores. 

Carmen XXVII. 

AD SODALES. 

Natis in usum laetitiae scyphis 
Pugnare Thracum est : tollite barbarum 
Morem, verecundumque Bacchum 
Sanguineis prohibete rixis. 

Vino et lucernis Medus aeinaces 5 

Immane quantum discrepat ! impium 
Lenite clamorem, sodales, 
Et cubito remanete presso. 

Vultis severi me quoque sumere 
Partem Falerni 1 dicat Opuntiae 10 

Frater Megillae, quo beatus 
Vulnere, qua pereat sagitta. 

Cessat voluntas % non alia bibam 
Mercede. Q,uae te cunque domat Venus, 

Non erubescendis adurit 15 

Ignibus, ingenuoque semper 

Amore peccas. duidquid habes, age, 
Depone tutis auribus — Ah miser, 
Quanta laborabas Charybdi, 

Digne puer meliore flamma ! 20 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 28. 25 

Quae saga, quis te solvere Thessalis 
Magus venenis, quis poterit deus 1 
Vix illigatum te triformi 

Pegasus expediet Chimaerae. 



Carmen XXVIII. 

NAUTA ET ARCHYTAE UMBRA. 

Nauta. 
Te maris et terrae numeroque carentis arenae 

Mensorem cohibent, Archyta, 
Pulveris exigui prope litus parva Matinum 

Munera : nee quidquam tibi prodest 
Aerias tentasse domos, animoque rotundum 5 

Percurrisse polum, morituro ! 

Archytae umbra. 
Occidit et Pelopis genitor, conviva deorum, 

Tithonusque remotus in auras, 
Et Jovis arcanis Minos admissus, habentque 

Tartara Panthoiden, iterum Oreo 10 

Demissum ; quamvis, clypeo Trojana refixo 

Tempora testatus, nihil ultra 
Nervos atque cutem Morti concesserat atrae j 

Judice te non sordidus auctor 
Naturae verique. Sed omnes una manet nox, 15 

Et calcanda semel via leti. 
Dant alios Furiae torvo spectacula Marti : 

Exitio est avidum mare nautis : 
Mixta senum ac juvenum densentur funera : nullum 

Saeva caput Proserpina fugit. 20 

Me quoque devexi rapidus comes Orionis 

Illyricis Notus obruit undis. 
At tu, nauta, vagae ne parce malignus arenae 

Ossibus et capiti inhumato 



26 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Particulam dare : sic, quodcunque minabitur Eurus 25 

Fluctibus Hesperiis, Venusinae 
Plectantur silvae, te sospite, multaque merces, 

Unde potest, tibi defluat aequo 
Ab Jove, Neptunoque sacri custode Tarenti. 

Negligis immeritis nocituram 30 

Postmodo te natis fraudem committere 1 Fors et 

Debita jura vicesque superbae 
Te maneant ipsum : precibus non linquar inultis ; 

Teque piacula nulla resolvent. 
Quamquam festinas, non est mora longa ; licebit 35 

Injecto ter pulvere curras. 



Carmen XXIX. 

AD ICCIUM. 

Icci, beatis nunc Arabum invides 
Gazis, et acrem militiam paras 
Non ante devictis Sabaeae 
Regibus, horribilique Medo 

Nectis catenas 1 Q,uae tibi virginum, 5 

Sponso necato, barbara serviet 1 
Puer quis ex aula capillis 

Ad cyathum statuetur unctis, 

Doctus sagittas tendere Sericas 
Arcu paterno % Quis neget arduis 10 

Pronos relabi posse rivos 

Montibus, et Tiberim reverti 

Q,uum tu coemtos undique nobiles 
Libros Panaetf , Socraticam et domum, 

Mutare loricis Iberis, 15 

Pollicitus meliora, tendis % 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 30. 31. 27 

Carmen XXX. 

AD VENEREM. 

O Venus, regina Gnidi Paphique, 
Sperne dilectam Cypron, et vocantis 
Thure te multo Glycerae decoram 
Transfer in aedem. 

Fervidus tecum Puer, et solutis 5 

Gratiae zonis, properentque Nymphae, 
Et parum comis sine te Juventas, 
Mercuriusque. 

Carmen XXXI. 

AD APOLLINEM. 

Quid dedicatum poscit Apollinem 
Vates 1 quid orat, de patera novum 
Fundens liquorem 1 Non opimas 
Sardiniae segetes feracis j 

Non aestuosae grata Calabriae 5 

Armenta ; non aurum, aut ebur Indicum J 
Non rura, quae Liris quieta 
Mordet aqua, taciturnus amnis. 

Premant Calena falce, quibus dedit 
Fortuna, vitem : dives et aureis 10 

Mercator exsiccet culullis 
Vina Syra reparata merce, 

Dis carus ipsis, quippe ter et quater 
Anno revisens aequor Atlanticum 

Tmpune. Me pascant olivae, 15 

Me cichorea, levesque malvae. 



28 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Frui paratis et valido mihi, 
Latoe, dories, et, precor, integra 
Cum mente ; nee turpem senectam 

Deffere, nee cithara carentem. 20 



Carmen XXXII. 
AD LYRAM. 

Poscimur. Si quid vacui sub umbra 
Lusimus tecum, quod et hunc in annum 
Vivat et plures : age, die Latinum, 
Barbite, carmen, 

Lesbio primum modulate civi ; 5 

Q.ui, ferox bello, tamen inter arma, 
Sive jactatam religarat udo 
Litore navim, 

Liberum et Musas, Veneremque, et illi 
Semper haerentem Puerum canebat, 10 

Et Ljcum, nigris oculis nigroque 
Crine decorum. 

O decus Phoebi, et dapibus supremi 
Grata testudo Jovis, o laborum 
Dulce lenimen, mihi cunque salve 15 

Rite vocanti. 



Carmen XXXIII. 
AD ALBIUM TIBULLUM. 



Albi, ne doleas plus nimio, memor 
Immitis Glycerae, neu miserabiles 
Decantes elegos, cur tibi junior 
Laesa praeniteat fide. 



CARMINUM. LIE. I. 34. 29 

Insignem tenui fronte Lycorida 5 

Cyri torret amor, Cyrus in asperam 
Declinat Pholoen : sed prius Appulis 
Jungentur capreae lupis, 

Q,uam turpi Pholoe peccet adultero. 
Sic visum Veneri, cui placet impares 10 

Formas atque animos sub juga aenea 
Saevo mittere cum joco. 

Ipsum me melior quum peteret Venus, 
Grata detinuit compede Myrtale 
Libertina, fretis acrior Adriae 15 

Curvantis Calabros sinus. 



Carmen XXXIV. 

AD SE IPSUM. 

Parous deorum cultor et infrequens, 
Insanientis dum sapientiae 

Consultus erro, nunc retrorsum 
Vela dare atque iterare cursus 

Cogor relic tos. Namque Diespiter, 5 

Igni corusco nubila dividens 
Plerumque, per purum tonantes 
Egit equos volucremque currum ; 

Q,uo bruta tellus, et vaga flumina, 
Q,uo Styx et invisi horrida Taenari 10 

Sedes, Atlanteusque finis 

Concutitur. Valet ima summis 

Mutare, et insignia attenuat deus, 
Obscura promens. Hinc apicem rapax 

Fortuna cum stridore acuto 15 

Sustulit, hie posuisse gaudet. 



30 ft. HORATII FLACCI 

Carmen XXXV. 

AD FORTUNAM. 

diva, gratum quae regis Antium, 
Praesens vel imo tollere de gradu 
Mortale corpus, vel superbos 
Vertere funeribus triumphos : 

Te pauper ambit sollicita prece, 5 

Ruris, colonus ; te dominam aequoris, 
Q,uicunque Bithyna lacessit 
Carpathium pelagus carina. 

Te Dacus asper, te profugi Scythae, 
Urbesque, gentesque, et Latium ferox, 10 

Regumque matres barbarorum, et 
Purpurei metuunt tyranni, 

Injurioso ne pede proruas 

Stantem columnam, neu populus frequens 

Ad arma cessantes ad arma 15 

Concitet, imperiumque frangat. 

Te semper anteit serva Necessitas, 
Clavos trabales et cuneos manu 
Gestans aena ; nee severus 

Uncus abest, liquidumque plumbum. 20 

Te Spes et albo rara Fides colit 
Velata panno : nee comitem abnegat, 
Utcunque mutata potentes 
Veste domos inimica linquis. 

At vulgus infidum et meretrix retro 25 

Perjura cedit : diffagiunt cadis 
Cum faece siccatis amici 
Ferre jugum pariter dolosi. 



CARMINUM. LIB. I. 36. 31 

' Serves iturum Caesarem in ultimos 
Orbis Britannos, et juvenum recens 30 

Examen Eois timendum 
Partibus, Oceanoque rubro. 

Eheu ! cicatricum et sceleris pudet 
Fratrumque — Quid nos dura refugimus 

Aetas ? quid intactum nefasti 35 

Liquimus ? unde manum juventus 

Metu deorum continuit 1 quibus 

Pepercit aris 1 O utinam nova 

Incude diffingas retusum in 

Arabasque ferrum. 40 



Carmen XXXVI. 
AD PLOTIUM NUMIDAM. 

Et thure et fidibus juvat 

Placare et vituli sanguine debito 
Custodes Numidae deos, 

Qui nunc, Hesperia sospes ab ultima, 
Caris multa sodalibus, 5 

Nulli plura tamen, dividit oscula, 
Q,uam dulci Lamiae, memor 

Actae non alio rege puertiae, 
Mutataeque simul togae. 

Cressa ne careat pulchra dies nota : 10 

Neu promtae modus amphorae, 

Neu morem in Salium sit requies pedum : 
Neu multi Damalis rneri 

Bassum Threicia vincat amystide : 
Neu desint epulis rosae, 15 

Neu vivax apium, neu breve lilium. 
6* 



32 0_. HORATII FLACCI 

Omnes in Damalin putres 

Deponent oculos : nee Damalis novo 

Divelletur adultero, 

Lascivis hederis ambitiosior. 20 



Carmen XXXVII. 

AD SOD ALES. 
4/ - 

Nunc est bibertdum, nunc pede libero 

Pulsanda tellus ; nunc Saliaribus 

Ornare pulvinar deorum ^ ^ 

Tempus erat dapibus, sodales. 

Antehac nefas depromere Caecubum 5 

Cellis avitis, dum Capitolio 
Regina dementes ruinas, 
Funus et imperio parabat 

Contaminato cum grege turpium 
Morbo virorum, quidlibet impotens 10 

Sperare, fortunaque dulci 
Ebria. Sed minuit furorem 

Vix una sospes navis ab ignibus : 
Mentemque lymphatam Mareotico 

Redegit in veros timores 15 

Caesar, ab Italia volantem 

Remis adurguens : accipiter velut 
Molles columbas, aut leporem citus 
Venator in campis nivalis 

Haemoniae ; daret ut catenis 20 

Fatale monstrum ; quae generosius 
Perire quaerens, nee muliebriter 
Expavit ensem, nee latentes 
Classe cita reparavit oras : 



CAKMINUM. LIB. I. 38. 33 

Ausa et jacentem visere regiam 25 

Vultu sereno, fortis et asperas 
Tractare serpentes, ut atrum 
Corpore combiberet venenum ; 

Deliberata morte ferocior : 

Saevis Liburnis scilicet invidens 30 

Privata deduci superbo 

Non humilis mulier triumpho. 



Carmen XXXVIII. 

AD PUERUM. 

Persicos odi, puer, apparatus ; 
Displicent nexae philyra coronae ; 
Mitte sectari, rosa quo locorum 
Sera moretur. 



Simplici myrto nihil allabores 
Sedulus curae ; neque te ministrum 
Dedecet myrtus, neque me sub arcta 
Vite bibentem. 



Q. HORATH FLACCI 

CARMINUM 

LIBER SECUNDUS. 

Carmen I. 
AD ASINIUM POLLIONEM. 

Motum ex Metello consule civicum, 
Bellique causas et vitia et modos, 
Ludumque Fortunae, gravesque 
Principum amicitias, et arma 

Nondum expiatis uncta cruoribus, 5 

Periculosae plenum opus aleae, 
Tractas, et incedis per ignes 
Suppositos cineri doloso. 

Paulum severae Musa tragoediae 
Desit theatns : inox, urn puDflcas 10 

Res ordinaiis, grande munus 
Cecropio repetes cothurno, 

Insigne moestis praesidium reis 
Et consulenti Pollio curiae, 

Cui laurus aeternos honores 15 

Dalmatico peperit triumpho. 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 2. 35 

Jam nunc minaci murmure cornuum 
Perstringis aures : jam litui strepunt 
Jam fulgor armorum fugaces 

Terret equos equitumque vultus. 20 

Audire magnos jam videor duces 
Non indecoro pulvere sordidos, 
Et cuncta terrarum subacta 

Praeter atrocem animum Catonis. 

Juno, et deorum quisquis amicior 25 

Afris inulta cesserat impotens 
Tellure, victorum nepotes 
Retulit inferias Jugurthae. 

Gluis non Latino sanguine pinguior 
Campus sepulcris impia proelia 30 

Testatur, auditumque Medis 
Hesperiae sonitum ruinae 1 

Q,ui gurges, aut quae flumina lugubris 
Ignara belli ? quod mare Dauniae 

Non decoloravere caedes ? 35 

Quae caret ora cruore nostro ? 

Sed ne, relictis, Musa procax, jocis, 
Ceae retractes munera naeniae : 
Mecum Dionaeo sub antro 

Q-uaere modos leviore plectro. 40 

Carmen II. 

AD SALLUSTIUM CRISPUM. 

Nullus argento color est avaris 
Abdito terris ; inimice lamnae, 
Crispe Sallusti, nisi temperato 
Splendeat usu. 



36 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Vivet extento Proculeius aevo 5 

Notus in fratres animi paterni : 
Ilium aget penna metuente solvi 
Fama superstes. 

Latins regnes avidum domando 
Spiritum, quam si Libyam remotis 10 

Gadibus jungas, et uterque Poenus 
Serviat uni. 

Crescit indulgens sibi dirus hydrops, 
Nee sitim pellit, nisi causa morbi 
Fugerit venis, et aquosus albo 15 

Corpore languor. 

Redditum Cyri solio Phrahaten 
Dissidens plebi numero beatorum 
Eximit Virtus, populumque falsis 

Dedocet uti 20 

Vocibus ; regnum et diadema tutum 
Deferens uni propriamque laurum, 
Gluisquis ingentes oculo irretorto 
Spectat acervos. 



Carmen III. 

AD DELLIUM. 

Aequam memento rebus in arduis 
Servare mentem, non secus in bonis 
Ab insolenti temperatam 
Laetitia, moriture Delli, 

Seu moestus omni tempore vixens, 
Seu te in remoto gramine per dies 
Festos reclinatum bearis 
Interiore nota Falerni. 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 4. 37 

Qua pinus ingens albaque populus 
Umbram hospitalem consociare amant 10 

Ramis, et obliquo laborat 

Lympha fugax trepidare rivo : 

Hue vina et unguenta et nimium brevis 
Flores amoenos ferre jube rosae, 

Dum res et aetas et Sororum 15 

Fila trium patiuntur atra. 

Cedes coemtis saltibus, et domo, 
Villaque, flavus quam Tiberis lavit : 
Cedes ; et exstmctis in altum 

Divitiis potietur haeres. 20 

Divesne prisco natus ab Inacho. 
Nil interest, an pauper et infima 
De gente, sub divo moreris, 
Victima nil miserantis Orci. 

Omnes eodem cogimur : omnium 25 

Versatur urna serius ocius 

Sors exitura, et nos in aeternum 
Exsilium impositura cymbae. 

Carmen IV. 

AD XANTHIAM PHOCEUM. 

Ne sit ancillae tibi amor pudori, 
Xanthia Phoceu ! Prius insolentem 
Serva Brisei's niveo colore 
Movit Achillem : 

Movit Ajacem Telamone natum 5 

Forma captivae dominum Tecmessae : 
Arsit Atrides medio in triumpho 
Virgine rapta, 



38 Q. HORATH FLACCI 

Barbarae postquam cecidere turmae 
Thessalo victore, et ademtus Hector 
Tradidit fessis leviora tolli 
Pergama Graiis. 

Nescias, an te generum beati 
Phyllidis flavae decorent parentes : 
Regium certe genus et Penates 
Moeret iniquos. 

Crede non illam tibi de scelesta 
Plebe delectam ; neque sic fidelem, 
Sic lucro aversam potuisse nasci 
Matre pudenda. 

Brachia et vultum teretesque suras 
Integer laudo : fuge suspicari, 
Cujus octavum trepidavit aetas 
Claudere lustrum. 



Carmen V. 

Nondum subacta ferre jugum valet 
Cervice, nondum munia comparis 
Aequare, nee tauri ruentis 
In venerem tolerare pondus. 

Circa virentes est animus tuae 
Campos juvencae, nunc fluviis gravem 
Solantis aestum, nunc in udo 
Ludere cum vitulis salicto 

Praegestientis. Tolle cupidinem 
Immitis uvae : jam tibi lividos 
Distinguet Auctumnus racemos 
Purpureo varius colore. 



CARMINUM. LIB. H. 6. 39 

Jam te sequetur : currit enim ferox 
Aetas, et illi, quos tibi demserit, 

Apponet annos : jam proterva 15 

Fronte petet Lalage maritum : 

Dilecta, quantum non Pholoe fugax, 
Non Chloris, albo sic humero nitens, 
Ut pura nocturne- renidet 

Luna mari, Gnidiusve Gyges ; 20 

Gluem si puellarum insereres choro, 
Mire sagaces falleret hospites 
Discrimen obscurum solutis 
Crinibus ambiguoque vultu. 



Carmen VI. 
AD SEPTIMIUM. 

Septimi, Gades aditure mecum et 
Cantabrum indoctum juga ferre nostra, et 
Barbaras Syrtes, ubi Maura semper 
Aestuat unda : 

Tibur, Argeo positum colono, 5 

Sit meae sedes utinam senectae, 
Sit modus lasso maris et viarum 
Militiaeque. 

Unde si Parcae prohibent iniquae, 
Dulce pellitis ovibus Galaesi 10 

Flumen et regnata petam Laconi 
Rura Phalanto. 

Ille terrarum mihi praeter omnes 
Angulus ridet, ubi non Hymetto 
Mella decedunt, viridique certat 15 

Baoca Venafro. 
7 



40 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Ver ubi longum tepidasque praebet 
Jupiter brumas, et amicus Aulon 
Fertili Baccho minimum Falernis 
Invidet uvis. 

Ille te mecum locus et beatae 
Postulant arces : ibi tu calentem 
Debita sparges lacrima favillam 
Vatis amici. 



Carmen VII. 

AD POMPEIUM. 

O saepe mecum tempus in ultimum 
Deducte, Bruto militiae duce, 
duis te redonavit Gluiritem 
Dis patriis Italoque coelo, 

Pompei, meorum prime sodalium 1 5 

Cum quo morantem saepe diem mero 
Fregi, coronatus nitentes 
Malobathro Syrio capillos. 

Tecum Philippos et celerem fugam 
Sensi, relicta non bene parmula ; 10 

Quum fracta Virtus, et minaces 
Turpe solum tetigere mento. 

•Sed me per hostes Mercurius celer 
Denso paventem sustulit aere : 

Te rursus in bellum resorbens 15 

Unda fretis tulit aestuosis. 

Ergo obligatam redde Jovi dapem, 
Longaque fessum militia latus 
Depone sub lauru mea, nee 

Parce cadis tibi destinatis. 20 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 8. 41 

Oblivioso laevia Massico 
Ciboria exple : funde capacibus 
Unguenta de conchis. Q,uis udo 
Deproperare apio coronas 

Curatve mjrto 1 quern Venus arbitrum 25 

Dicet bibendi 1 Non ego sanius 
Bacchabor Edonis : recepto 
Didce mini furere est amico. 



Carmen VIII. 

AD BARINEN. 

Ulla si juris tibi pejerati 
Poena, Barine, nocuisset unquam ; 
Dente si nigro fieres vel uno 
Turpior ungui : 

Crederem. Sed tu, simul obligasti 5 

Perfidum votis caput, enitescis 
Pulchrior multo, juvenumque prodis 
Publica cura. 

Expedit matris cineres opertos 
Fallere, et toto taciturna noctis 10 

Signa cum coelo, gelidaque divos 
Morte carentes. 

Ridet hoc, inquam, Venus ipsa, rident 
Simplices Nymphae, ferus et Cupido 
Semper ardentes acuens sagittas 15 

Cote cruenta. 

Adde, quod pubes tibi crescit omnis, 
Servitus crescit nova ; nee priores 
Impiae tectum dominae relinquunt 

minati. 20 



42 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Te suis matres metuunt juvencis, 
Te senes parci, miseraeque nuper 
Virgines nuptae, tua ne retardet 
Aura maritos. 



Carmen IX. 

AD VALGIUM. 

Non semper imbres nubibus hispidos 
Manant in agros ; aut mare Caspium 
Vexant inaequales procellae 
Usque ; nee Armeniis in oris, 

Amice Valgi, stat glacies iners 5 

Menses per omnes ; aut Aquilonibus 
Q,uerceta Gargani laborant, 
Et foliis viduantur orni. 

Tu semper urgues flebilibus modis 
Mysten ademtum ; nee tibi vespero 10 

Surgente decedunt amores, 
Nee rapidum fugiente Solem. 

At non ter aevo functus amabilem 
Ploravit omnes Antilochum senex 

Annos ; nee impubem parentes 15 

TroTlon, aut Phrygiae sorores 

Flevere semper. Desine mollium 
Tandem querelarum ; et potius nova 
Cantemus Augusti tropaea 

Caesaris, et rigidum Niphaten ; 20 

Medumque flumen, gentibus additum 
Victis, minores volvere vortices ; 
Intraque praescriptum Gelonos 
Exiguis equitare campis. 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 10. 43 



Carmen X. 
AD LICINIUM. 

Rectius vives, Licini, neque altum 
Semper urguendo, neque, dum procellas 
Cautus horrescis, nimium premendo 
Litus iniquum. 

Auream quisquis mediocritatem 5 

Diligit, tutus caret obsoleti 
Sordibus tecti, caret invidenda 
Sobrius aula. 

Saepius ventis a'gitatur ingens 
Pinus, et celsae graviore casu 10 

Decidunt turres, feriuntque summos 
Fulmina montes. 

Sperat infestis, metuit secundis 
Alteram sortem bene praeparatum 
Pectus. Informes hiemes reducit 15 

Jupiter, idem 

Summovet. Non, si male nunc, et olim 
Sic erit. Quondam cithara tacentem 
Suscitat Musam, neque semper arcum 

Tendit Apollo. 20 

Rebus angustis animosus atque 
Fortis appare : sapienter idem 
Contrahes vento nimium secundo 
Turgida vela. 



7* 



44 Q. HORATII FLACCI 



Carmen XI. 



AD QUINCTIUM. 

Q,uid bellicosus Cantaber, et Scythes, 
Hirpine Quincti, cogitet, Adria 
Divisus objecto, remittas 

Quaerere : nee trepides in usum 

Poscentis aevi pauca. Fugit retro 5 

Levis Juventas, et Decor ; arida 
Pellente lascivos Amores 
Canitie facilemque Somnum. 

Non semper idem floribus est honor 
Vernis ; neque uno Luna rubens nitet 10 

Vultu : quid aeternis minorem 
Consiliis animum fatigas % 

Cur non sub alta vel platano vel hac 
Pinu jacentes sic temere, et rosa 

Canos odorati capillos, 15 

Dum licet, Assyriaque nardo 

Potamus uncti ? Dissipat Euius 

Curas edaces. Q,uis puer ocius 

Restinguet ardentis Falerni 

Pocula praetereunte Ivmpha % 20 

Q,uis devium scortum eliciet domo 
Lyden 1 eburna, die age, cum lyra 
Maturet, in comtum Lacaenae 
More comam religata nodum. 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 12. 45 

Cabmen XII. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Nolis longa ferae bella Numantiae, 
Nee dirum Hamiibalem, nee Siculum mare 
Poeno purpureum sanguine, mollibus 
Aptari citharae modis : 

Nee saevos Lapithas, et nimium mero 5 

Hylaeum ; domitosve Herculea manu 
Telluris juvenes, unde periculum 

Fulgens contremuit domus 

Saturni veteris : tuque pedestribus 
Dices historiis proelia Caesaris, 10 

Maecenas, melius, ductaque per vias 
Regum colla minacium. 

Me dulces dominae Musa Licymniae 
Cantus, me voluit dicere lucidum 
Fulgentes oculos, et bene mutuis 15 

Fidum pectus amoribus : 

Gluam nee ferre pedem dedecuit choris, 
Nee certare joco, nee dare brachia 
Ludentem nitidis virginibus, sacro 

Dianae Celebris die. 20 

Num tu, quae tenuit dives Achaemenes, 
Aut pinguis Phrygiae Mygdonias opes, 
Permutare velis crine Licymniae, 

Plenas aut Arabum domos ? 

Dum flagrantia detorquet ad oscula 25 

Cervicem, aut facili saevitia negat, 
Quae poscente magis gaudeat eripi, 
Interdum rapere occupet. 



46 Q. HORATJI FLACCI 

Carmen XIII. 

In arborem, cujus casu paene oppressus fuerat. 

Hie et nefasto te posuit die, 
Q,uicunque primum, et sacrilega manu 
Produxit, arbos, in nepotum 
Perniciem, opprobriumque pagi. 

Ilium et parentis crediderim sui 5 

Fregisse cervicem, et penetraba 
Sparsisse noctumo cruore 
Hospitis ; ille venena Colcha, 

Et quidquid usquam concipitur nefas, 
Tractavit, agro qui statuit meo 10 

Te triste lignum, te caducum 
In domini caput immerentis. 

Quid quisque vitet, nunquam homini satis 
Cautum est, in horas. Navita Bosporum 

Poenus perhorrescit, neque ultra 15 

Caeca timet aliunde fata ; 

Miles sagittas et celerem fugam 
Parthi ; catenas Parthus et Italum 
Robur : sed improvisa leti 

Vis rapuit rapietque gentes. 20 

Q,uam paene furvae regna Proserpinae, 
Et judicantem vidimus Aeacum : 
Sedesque discretas piorum ; et 
Aeoliis fidibus querentem 

Sappho puellis de popularibus ; 25 

Et te sonantem pienius aureo, 
Alcaee, plectro dura navis, 
Dura fugae mala, dura belli. 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 14. 47 

Utrumque sacro digna silentio 
Mirantur Umbrae dicere : sed magis 30 

Pugnas et exactos tyrannos 

Densum humeris bibit aure vulgus. 

Quid minim ? ubi illis carminibus stupens 
Demittit atras bellua centiceps 

Aures, et intorti capillis 35 

Eumenidum recreantur angues ; 

Quin et Prometheus et Pelopis parens 
Dulci laborum decipitur sono : 
Nee curat Orion leones 

Aut timidos agitare lyncas. 40 

Carmen XIV. 

AD POSTUMUM. 

Eheu ! fugaces, Postume, Postume, 
Labuntur anni : nee Pietas moram 
Rugis et instanti Senectae 
Afferet, indomitaeque Morti. 

Non, si trecenis, quotquot eunt dies, 5 

Amice, places illacrimabilem 
Plutona tauris ; qui ter amplum 
Geryonen Tityonque tristi 

Compescit unda, scilicet omnibus, 
Q,uicunque terrae munere vescimur, 10 

Enaviganda, sive reges 
Sive inopes erimus coloni. 

Frustra cruento Marte carebimus, 
Fractisque rauci fluctibus Adriae ; 

Frustra per auctumnos nocentem 15 

Corporibus metuemus Austrum : 



48 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Visendus ater flumine languido 

Cocytos errans, et Danai genus 

Infame, damnatusque longi 

Sisyphus Aeolides laboris. 20 

Linquenda tellus, et domus, et placens 
Uxor ; neque harum, quas colis, arborum 
Te, praeter invisas cupressos, 
Ulla brevem dominum sequetur. 

Absumet haeres Caecuba dignior 25 

Servata centum clavibus, et mero 
Tinguet pavimentum superbis 
Pontificum potiore coenis. 

Carmen XV. 

IN SUI SAECULI LUXURIAM. 

Jam pauca aratro jugera regiae 
Moles relinquent : undique latius 
Extenta visentur Lucrino 

Stagna lacu : platanusque caelebs 

Evincet ulmos : turn violaria, et 5 

Myrtus, et omnis copia narium, 
Spargent olivetis odorem 
Fertilibus domino priori : 

Turn spissa ramis laurea fervidos 
Excludet ictus. Non ita Romuli 10 

Praescriptum et intonsi Catonis 
Auspiciis, veterumque norma. 

Privatus illis census erat brevis, 
Commune magnum : nulla decempedis 

Metata privatis opacam 15 

Porticus excipiebat Arcton : 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 16. 49 

Nec fortuitum spernere cespitem 
Leges sinebant, oppida publico 
Sumtu jubentes et deorum 
Templa novo decorare saxo 20 



Carmen XVI. 

AD GROSPHUM. 

Otium divos rogat impotenti 
Pressus Aegaeo, simul atra nubes 
Condidit Lunam, neque certa fulgent 
Sidera nautis : 

Otium bello furiosa Thrace, 5 

Otium Medi pharetra decori, 
Grosphe, non gemmis neque purpura ve- 
nale neque auro. 

Non enim gazae neque consularis 
Summovet lictor miseros tumultus 10 

Mentis, et Curas laqueata circum 
Tecta volantes. 

Vivitur parvo bene, cui paternum 
Splendet in mensa tenui salinum : 
Nec leves somnos timor aut cupido 15 

Sordidus aufert. 

Quid brevi fortes jaculamur aevo 
Multa ? quid terras alio calentes 
Sole mutamus 1 Patriae quis exsul 

Se quoque fugit 'I 20 

Scandit aeratas vitiosa naves 
Cura : nec turmas equitum relinquit : 
Ocior cervis, et agente nimbos 
Ocior Euro. 



50 0.. HORATII FLACCI 

Laetus in praesens animus, quod ultra est 25 

Oderit curare, et amara lento 
Temperet risu. Nihil est ab omni 
Parte beatum. 

Abstulit clarum cita mors Achillem, 
Longa Tithonum minuit senectus : 30 

Et mihi forsan, tibi quod negarit, 
Porriget Hora. 

Te greges centum Siculaeque circum 
Mugiunt vaccae : tibi tollit hinnitum 
Apta quadrigis equa ; te bis Afro 35 

Murice tinctae 

Vestiunt lanae : mihi parva rura, et 
Spiritum Graiae tenuem Camenae 
Parca non mendax dedit, et malignum 

Spernere vulgus. 40 



Carmen XVII. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Cur me querelis exanimas tuis ? 
Nee dis amicum est, nee mihi, te prius 
Obire, Maecenas, mearum 

Grande decus columenque rerum. 

Ah ! te meae si partem animae rapit 5 

Maturior vis, quid moror altera ? 
Nee carus aeque, nee superstes 
Integer. Ille dies utramque 

Ducet ruinam. Non ego perfidum 
Dixi sacramentum : ibimus, ibimus, 10 

Utcunque praecedes, supremum 
Carpere iter comites parati. 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 18. 51 

Me nee Chimaerae spiritus igneae, 
Nee, si resurgat, centimanus Gyges 

Divellet unquam. Sic potenti 15 

Justitiae placitumque Parcis. 

Seu Libra, seu me Scorpius adspicit 
Formidolosus, pars violentior 
Natalis horae, seu tyrannus 
Hesperiae Capricomus undae : 20 

Utrumque nostrum incredibili modo 
Consentit astrum. Te Jovis impio 
Tutela Saturno refulgens 
Eripuit, volucrisque Fati 

Tarda vit alas, quum populus frequens 25 

Laetum theatris ter crepuit sonum : 
Me truncus illapsus cerebro 
Sustulerat, nisi Faunus ictum 

Dextra levasset, Mercurialium 
Custos virorum. Reddere victimas 30 

Aedemque votivam memento : 
Nos humilem feriemus agnam. 



Carmen XVIII. 

Non ebur neque aureum 

Mea renidet in domo lacunar ; 
Non trabes Hymettiae 

Premunt columnas ultima recisas 
Africa : neque Attali 5 

Ignotus haeres regiam occupavi : 
Nee Laconicas mihi 

Trahunt honestae purpuras clientae. 
At fides et ingeni 

Benigna vena est ; pauperemque dives 10 

8 



52 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Me petit ; nihil supra 

Deos lacesso : nee potentem amicum 
Largiora flagito, 

Satis beatus unicis Sabinis. 
Truditur dies die, *° 

Novaeque pergunt interire Lunae : 
Tu secanda marmora 

Locas sub ipsum funus ; et, sepulcri 
Immemor, struis domos ; 

Marisque Baiis obstrepentis urgues 20 

Summovere litora, 

Parum locuples continente ripa. 
Q,uid ? quod usque proximos 

ReveUis agri terminos, et ultra 
Limites clientium 25 

Salis avarus ; pellitur paternos 
In sinu ferens deos 

Et uxor, et vir, sordidosque natos. 
Nulla certior tamen, 

Rapacis Orci fine destinata 30 

Aula divitem manet 

Herum. Gluid ultra tendis 1 Aequa tellus 
Pauperi recluditur 

Regumque pueris : nee satelles Orci 
Callidum Promethea 35 

Revexit auro captus. Hie superbum 
Tantalum, atque Tantali 

Genus coercet ; hie levare functum 
Pauperem laboribus 

Vocatus atque non moratus audit. 40 



CARMINUM. LIB. II. 19. 53 



Carmen XIX. 

IN BACCHUM. 

Bacchum in remotis carmina rupibus 
Vidi docentem, (credite posteri !) 
Nymphasque discentes, et aures 
Capripedum Satyrorum acutas. 

Euoe ! recenti mens trepidat metu, 5 

Plenoque Bacchi pectore turbidum 
Laetatur ! Euoe ! parce, Liber ! 
Parce, gravi metuende thyrso ! 

Fas pervicaces est mihi Thyiadas, 
Vinique fontem, lactis et uberes 10 

Cantare rivos, atque truncis 
Lapsa cavis iterare mella. 

Fas et beatae conjugis additum 
Stellis honorem, tectaque Penthei 

Disjecta non leni ruina, 15 

Thracis et exitium Lycurgi. 

Tu flectis amnes, tu mare barbarum : 
Tu separatis uvidus in jugis 
Nodo coerces viperino 

Bistonidum sine fraude crines. 20 

Tu, quum parentis regna per arduum 
Cohors Gigantum scanderet impia, 
Rhoetum retorsisti leorris 
Unguibus horribilique mala : 

Gtuamquam, choreis aptior et jocis 25 

Ludoque dictus, non sat idoneus 
Pugnae ferebaris ; sed idem 
Pacis eras mediusque belli. 



54 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Te vidit insons Cerberus aureo 
Cornu decorum, leniter atterens 30 

Caudam, et recedentis trilingui 
Ore pedes tetigitque crura. 

Carmen XX. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Non usitata, non tenui ferar 
Penna biformis per liquidum aethera 
Vates : neque in terris morabor 
Longius : invidiaque major 

Urbes relinquam. Non ego pauperum 5 

Sanguis parentum, non ego, quern vocas 
Dilecte, Maecenas, obibo, 
Nee Stygia cohibebor unda. 

Jam jam residunt cruribus asperae 
Pelles ; et album mutor in alitem 10 

Supema : nascunturque leves 
Per digitos humerosque plumae. 

Jam Daedaleo notior Icaro 
Visam gementis litora Bospori, 
SjTtesque Gaetulas canorus 15 

Ales Hyperboreosque campos. 

Me Colchus, et qui dissimulat metum 
Marsae cohortis ; Dacus, et ultimi 
Noscent Geloni : me peritus 

Discet Iber, Rodanique potor. 20 

Absint inani funere naeniae, 
Luctusque turpes et querimoniae : 
Compesce clamorem, ac sepulcri 
Mitte supervacuos honores. 



Q. HORATH FLACCI 

CARMINXJM 

LIBER TERTIUS. 



Carmen I. 

Odi profanum vulgus et arceo : 
Favete Unguis : carmina non prius 
Audita Musarum sacerdos 
Virginibus puerisque canto. 

Regum timendorum in proprios greges, 5 

Reges in ipsos imperium est Jovis, 
Clari Giganteo triumpho, 
Cuncta supercilio moventis. 

Est ut viro vir latius or dine t 
Arbusta sulcis ; hie generosior 10 

Descendat in Campum petitor ; 
Moribus hie meliorque fama 

Contendat ; illi turba clientium 
Sit major : aequa lege Necessitas 

Sortitur insignes et imos ; 15 

Omne capax movet urna nomen. 

Destrictus ensis cui super irnpia 
Cervice pendet, non Siculae dapes 
Dulcem elaborabunt saporem, 

Non avium citharaeve cantus 20 

8* 



56 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Somnum reducent. Somnus agrestium 
Lenis virorum non humiles domos 
Fastidit, umbrosamve ripam, 
Non Zephyris agitata Tempe. 

Desiderantem quod satis est neque 
Tumultuosum sollicitat mare, 
Nee saevus Arcturi cadentis 
Impetus, aut orientis Haedi : 

Non verberatae grandine vineae, 
Fundusve mendax, arbore nunc aquas 
Culpante, nunc torrentia agros 
Sidera, nunc hiemes iniquas. 

Contracta pisces aequora sentiunt 
Jactis in altum molibus : hue frequens 
Caementa demittit redemtor 

Cum famulis, dominusque terrae 

Fastidiosus : sed Timor et Minae 
Scandunt eodem, quo dominus : neque 
Decedit aerata triremi, et 

Post equitem sedet atra Cura. 

Quod si dolentem nee Phrygius lapis, 
Nee purpurarum sidere clarior 
Delenit usus, nee Falerna 

Vitis, Achaemeniumve costum ; 

Cur invidendis postibus et novo 
Sublime ritu moliar atrium 1 
Cur valle permutem Sabina 
Divitias operosiorcs % 



CARMINUM. LIB. III. 2. 57 



Carmen II. 

Angustam amice pauperiem pati 
Robustus acri militia puer 

Condiscat ; et Parthos feroces 
Vexet eques metuendus hasta : 

Vitamque sub divo trepidis agat 5 

In rebus. Ilium et moenibus hosticis 
Matrona bellantis tyranni 
Prospiciens et adulta virgo 

Suspiret : eheu ! ne rudis agminum 
Sponsus lacessat regius asperum 10 

Tactu leonem, quern cruenta 
Per medias rapit ira caedes. 

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori : 
Mors et fugacem persequitur virum, 

Nee parcit imbellis juventae 15 

Poplitibus timidoque tergo. 

Virtus, repulsae nescia sordidae, 
Intaminatis fulget honoiibus : 
Nee sumit aut ponit secures 

Arbitrio popularis aurae. 20 

Virtus, recludens immeritis mori 
Coelum, negata tentat iter via : 
Coetusque vulgares et udam 
Spernit humum fugiente penna. 

Est et fideli tuta silentio 25 

Merces : vetabo, qui Cereris sacrum 
Vulgarit arcanae, sub isdem 
Sit trabibus, fragilemve mecum 



58 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Solvat phaselon. Saepe Diespiter 
Neglectus incesto addidit integrum : 
Raro antecedentem scelestum 
Deseruit pede Poena claudo. 



Carmen III. 

Justum ac tenacem propositi virum 
Non civium ardor prava jubentium, 
Non vultus instantis tyranni 

Mente quatit solida, neque Auster, 

Dux inquieti turbidus Adriae, 5 

Nee fulminantis magna manus Jovis : 
Si fractus illabatur orbis, 
Impavidum ferient ruinae. 

Hac arte Pollux et vagus Hercules 
Enisus arces attigit igneas : 10 

Gluos inter Augustus recumbens 
Purpureo bibit ore nectar. 

Hac te merentem, Bacche pater, tuae 
Vexere tigres, indocili jugum 

Collo trahentes. Hac Quirm-us 15 

Martis equis Acheronta fugit, 

Gratum elocuta consiliantibus 
Junone divis : Ilion, Ilion 
Fatalis incestusque judex 
Et mulier peregrina vertit 20 

In pulverem ; ex quo destituit deos 
Mercede pacta Laomedon, milii 
Castaeque damnatum Minervae 
Cum populo et duce fraudulento. 



CARMINUM. LIB. III. 3. 59 

Jam nee Lacaenae splendet adulterae 25 

Famosus hospes, nee Priami domus 
Perjura pugnaces Achivos 
Hectoreis opibus refringit : 

Nostrisque ductum seditionibus 
Bellum resedit. Protinus et graves 30 

Iras, et invisum nepotem, 
Troia quem peperit saeerdos, 

Marti redonabo. Ilium ego lucidas 
Inire sedes, discere nectaris 

Succos, et adscribi quietis 35 

Ordinibus patiar deorum. 

Dum longus inter saeviat Ilion 
Romamque pontus, qualibet exsules 
In parte regnanto beati : 

Dum Priami Paridisque busto 40 

Insultet armentum, et catulos ferae 
Celent inultae, stet Capitolium 
Fulgens, triumphatisque possit 
Roma ferox dare jura Medis. 

Horrenda late nomen in ultimas 45 

Extendat oras, qua medius liquor 
Secernit Europen ab Afro, 

Qua tumidus rigat arva Nilus : 

Aurum irrepertum, et sic melius situm 
duum terra celat, spernere fortior, 50 

Gluam cogere humanos in usus 
Omne sacrum rapiente dextra. 

Quicunque mundo terminus obstitit, 
Hunc tangat armis, vincere gestiens, 

Q,ua parte debacchantur ignes, 55 

Q.ua nebulae pluviique rores. 



60 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Sed bellicosis fata Gluiritibus 
Hac lege dico ; ne nimium pii 
Rebusque fidentes avitae 
Tecta velint reparare Trojae. 

Trojae renascens alite lugubri 
Fortuna tristi clade iterabitur, 
Ducente victrices catervas 
Conjuge me Jovis et sorore. 

Ter si resurgat murus aeneus 
Auctore Phoebo, ter pereat meis 
Excisus Argivis ; ter uxor 
Capta virum puerosque ploret. 

Non haec jocosae conveniunt lyrae : 
Quo Musa tendis ? Desine pervicax 
Referre sermones deorum et 
Magna modis tenuare parvis. 



Carmen IV. 

AD CALLIOPEN. 

Descende coelo, et die age tibia 
Regina longum Calliope melos, 
Seu voce nunc mavis acuta, 
Seu fidibus citharaque Phoebi. 

Auditis 1 an me ludit amabilis 

Insania ? Audire et videor pios 

Errare per lucos, amoenae 

Q,uos et aquae subeunt et aurae. 

Me fabulosae, Vulture in Appulo 
Nutricis extra limen Apuliae, 
Ludo fatigatumque somno 
Fronde nova puerum palumbes 



CARMINUM. LIB. III. 4. 61 

Texere : mirum quod foret omnibus, 
Quicunque celsae nidum Acherontiae, 

Saltusque Bantinos, et arvum 15 

Pingue tenent humilis Forenti ; 

Ut tuto ab atris corpore viperis 
Dormirem et ursis ; ut premerer saora 
Lauroque collataque mjrto, 

Non sine dis animosus infans. 20 

Vester, Camenae, vester in arduos 
Tollor Sabinos ; seu mihi frigidum 
Praeneste, seu Tibur supinum, 
Seu liquidae placuere Baiae. 

Vestris amicum fontibus et choris 25 

Non me Philippis versa acies retro, 
Devota non exstinxit arbor, 
Nee Sicula Palinurus unda. 

Utcunque mecum vos eritis, libens 
[nsanientem, navita, Bosporum 30 

Tentabo, et urentes arenas 
Litoris Assyrii, viator. 

Visam Britannos hospitibus feros, 

Et laetum equino sanguine Concanum ; 

Visam pharetratos Gelonos 35 

Et Scythicum inviolatus amnem. 

Vos Caesarem altum, militia simul 
Fessas cohortes abdidit oppidis, 
Finire quaerentem labores, 

Pierio recreatis antro : 40 

Vos lene consilium et datis, et dato 
Gaudetis almae. Scimus, ut impios 
Titanas immanemque turmam 
Fulmine sustulerit corusco, 



62 Q. HORATII PLACCI 

Q,ui terram inertem, qui mare temperat 45 

Ventosum ; et umbras regnaque tristia, 
Divosque, mortalesque turbas 
Imperio regit unus aequo. 

Magnum ilia terrorem intulerat Jovi 
Fidens, juventus horrida, brachiis', 50 

Fratresque tendentes opaco 
Pelion imposuisse Olympo. 

Sed quid Typhoeus et validus Mimas, 
Aut quid minaci Porphyiion statu, 

Q-uid Rhoetus, evulsisque truncis 55 

Enceladus jaculator audax, 

Contra sonantem Palladis aegida 
Possent ruentes % Hinc avidus stetit 
Vulcanus, hinc matrona Juno, et 

Nunquam humeris positurus arcum, 60 

Qui rore puro Castaliae lavit 
Crines solutos, qui Lyciae tenet 
Dumeta natalemque silvam, 
Delius et Patareus Apollo. 

Vis consili expers mole ruit sua! 65 

Vim temperatem di quoque provehunt 
In majus ; idem odere vires 
Omne nefas annuo moventes. 

Testis mearum centimanus Gyges 
Sententiarum, notus et integrae 70 

Tentator Orion Dianae 
Virginea domitus sagitta. 

Injecta monstris Terra dolet suis, 
Moeretque partus fulmine luridum 

Missos ad Orcum : nee peredit 75 

Impositam celer ignis Aetnen ; 



CARMINUM. LIB. III. 5. 63 

Incontinentia nee Tityi jecur 
Relinquit ales, nequitiae additus 
Custos : amatorem et trecentae 

Pirithoum cohibent catenae. 80 



Carmen V. 

Coelo tonantem credidimus Jovem 
Regnare : praesens divus habebitur 
Augustus, adjectis Britannis 
Imperio gravibusque Persis. 

Milesne Crassi conjuge barbara 5 

Turpis maritus vixit 1 et hostium — 
Pro Curia, inversique mores ! — 
Consenuit socerorum in arvis, 

Sub rege Medo, Marsus et Appulus ! 
Anciliorum et nominis et togae 10 

Oblitus aeternaeque Vestae, 
Incolumi Jove et urbe Roma ? 

Hoc caverat mens provida Reguli, 
Dissentientis conditionibus 

Foedis, et exemplo trahenti 15 

Perniciem veniens in aevum, 

Si non perirent immiserabilis 
Captiva pubes. " Signa ego Punicis 
Affixa delubris, et anna 
Militibus sine caede," dixit, 20 

" Derepta vidi : vidi ego civium 
Retorta tergo brachia libero, 
Portasque non clusas, et arva 
Marte coli populata nostro. 



64 Q_. IIORATII FLACCI 

Auro rcpensus scilicet acrior 
Miles redibit ! Flagitio additis 

Damnum. Neque amissos colores 
Lana refert medicata fuco, 

Nee vera virtus, quum semel excidit, 
Curat reponi deterioribus. 
Si pugnet extrieata densis 
Cerva plagis, erit illc fortis, 

Qui perfidis se credidit hostibus ; 
Et Marte Pocnos proteret altero, 
Q,ui lora restrictis lacertis 

Sensit iners, timuitque mortem 

Hinc, unde vitam sumeret aptius : 
Pacem et duello miscuit. O pudor ! 
O magna Carthago, probrosis 
Altior Italiae minis I" 

Fertur pudicae conjugis osculum, 
Parvosque natos, ut capitis minor, 
Ab se removisse, et virilem 

Torvus humi posuisse vultum ; 

Donee labantes consilio Patres 
Firmaret auctor nunquam alias dato, 
Interque moerentes arnicos 
Egregius properaret exsul. 

Atqui sciebat, quae sibi barbarus 
Tortor pararet ;. non aliter tamen 
Dimovit obstantes propinquos, 
Et populum reditus morantem, 

Glaam si clientum longa negotia 
Dijudicata lite relinqueret, 
Tendens Venafranos in agros, 
Aut Lacedaemonium Tarentum. 



CARMINUM. LIE. III. 6. 65 

Carmen VI. 
AD ROMANOS. 

Delicta majorum immeritus lues, 
Romane, donee templa refeceris, 
Aedesque labentes deorum, et 
Foeda nigra simulacra fumo. 

Dis te minorem quod geris, imperas : 5 

Hinc omne principium, hue refer exitum. 
Di multa neglecti dederunt 
Hesperiae mala luctuosae. 

Jam bis Monaeses et Pacori manus 
Non auspicatos contudit impetus 10 

Nostras, et adjecisse praedam 
Torquibus exiguis renidet. 

Paene occupatam seditionibus 
Delevit Urbem Dacus et Aethiops ; 

Hie classe formidatus, ille 15 

Missilibus melior sagittis. 

Fecunda culpae saecula nuptias 
Primum inquinavere, et genus, et domos : 
Hoc fonte derivata clades 

In patriam populumque fluxit. 20 

Motus doceri gaudet Ionicos 
Matura virgo, et fingitur artibus : 
Jam nunc et incestos amores 
De tenero meditatur ungui. 

Mox juniores quaerit adulteros 25 

Inter mariti vina ; neque eligit, 
Cui donet impermissa raptim 
Gaudia, luminibus remotis ; 



66 Q. H0IIATII FLACCI 

Sed jussa coram non sine conscio 

Surgit marito, seu vocat institor, 

Seu navis Hispanae magister, 

Dedecorum pretiosus emtor. 

Non his juventus orta parentibus 
Infecit aequor sanguine Punico, 
PjTrhumque et ingentem cecidit 
Antiochum, Hannibalemque dirum : 

Sed rusticorum mascula militum 
Proles, Sabellis docta ligonibus 
Versare glebas, et severae 
Matris ad arbitrium recisos 

Portare fustes, sol ubi montium 
Mutaret umbras et juga demeret 
Bobus fatigatis, amicum 

Tempus agens abeunte curru. 

Damnosa quid non imminuit dies ! 
Aetas parentum, pejor avis, tulit 
Nos nequiores, mox daturos 
Proe-eniem vitiosiorem. 



Carmen VII. 

AD ASTERIEN. 

Gtuid fles, Asterie, quern tibi candidi 
Primo restituent vere Favonii, 
Thyna merce beatum, 
Constantis juvenem fide, 

Gygen ? Ille Notis actus ad Oricum 
Post insana Caprae sidera, frigidas 
Noctes non sine multis 
Insomnis lacrimis agit. 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 8. 67 

Atqui sollicitae nuntius hospitae, 
Suspirare Chloen, et miser am tuis 10 

Dicens ignibus uri, 

Tentat mille vafer modis. 

Ut Proetum mulier perflda credulum 
Falsis impulerit criminibus, nimis 

Casto Bellerophonti 15 

Maturare necem, refert. 

Narrat paene datum Pelea Tartaro, 
Magnessam Hippolyten dum fugit abstinens : 
Et peccare docentes 

Fallax historias movet : 20 

Frustra : nam scopulis surdior Icart 
Voces audit adhuc integer. At, tibi 
Ne vicinus Enipeus 

Plus justo placeat, cave : 

Gluamvis non alius flectere equum sciens 25 

Aeque conspicitur gramme Martio, 
Nee quisquam citus aeque 
Tusco denatat alveo. 

Prima nocte domum claude : neque in vias 
Sub cantu querulae despice tibiae : 30 

Et te saepe vocanti 
Duram difficilis mane. 



Carmen VIII. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Martiis^caelebs quid jjigam ,Kalendis, 
Quid velint flares et acerra thuris 
Plena, miraris, positusque carbo 
Cespite Vivo" 
1 9* 



y 



68 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

~ *U -.[.„.[-* 

Docte sermones utriusque linguae % 5 

Voveram dulces epulas ct album 
Libero caprum, prope funeratus 
Arbons ictu. 

Hie dies anno rcdeuntc festus 
Corticem adstrictum pice demovebit 10 

Amphorae fumum bibcre institutae 
Consule Tullo. 

Sume, Maecenas, cyathos amici 
Sospitis centum, et vigdes lucernas 
Perfer in lucem : procul omnis esto 15 

Clamor et ira. 

Mitte civiles super Urbe curas : 
Occidit Daci Cotisonis agmen : 
Medus infestus sibi luctuosis 

Dissidet armis : 20 

Servit Hispanae vetus hostis orae, 
Cantaber, sera domitus catena : 
Jam Scythae laxo meditantur arcu 
Cedere campis. 

Negligens, ne qua populus laboret 25 

Parte, privatim nimium cavere, 
Dona praesentis cape laetus horae, et 
Linque severa. 

Carmen IX. 
CARMEN AMOEBAEUM. 

Horatius. 

Donee gratus eram tibi, 

Nee quisquam potior brachia candidae 
Cervici juvenis dabat : 

Persarumvigui rege beatior. 



CARSIINUM LIB. HI. 9. 69 

Lydia. 

Donee non aliam magis 5 

Arsisti, neque erat Lydia post Chloen : 

Multi Lydia nominis 

Romana vigui clarior Ilia. 

Horatius. 

Me nunc Thressa Chloe regit, 

Dulces docta modos, et citharae sciens : 10 

Pro qua non metuam mori, 

Si parcent animae fata superstiti. 

Lydia. 

Me torret face mutua 

Thurini Calais filius Ornyti : 
Pro quo bis patiar mori, 1 5 

Si parcent puero fata superstiti. 

Horatius. 

Q,uid 1 si prisca redit Venus, 

Diductosque jugo cogit aeneo ? 
Si flava excutitur Chloe, 

Rejectaeque patet janua Lydiae 1 20 

Lydia. 

Cluamquam sidere pulchrior 

Ille est, tu levior cortice, et improbo 
Iracundior Adria : 

Tecum vivere amem, tecum obeam libens. 



70 Q. IIORATII FLACCI 

Carmen X. 

AD LYCEN. 

Extremum Tanain si biberes, Lyce, 
Saevo nupta viro ; me tamen asperaa 
Projectum ante fores objicere incolis 
Plorares Aquilonibus. 

Audis quo slrcpitu janua, quo ncmus 5 

Inter pulehra satum tecta remugiat 1 
Sends et positas ut glaciet nives 
Puro numine Jupiter ? 

Ingratam Veneri pone superbiam, 
Ne currente rota funis eat retro. 10 

Non te Penelopen difticilem procis 
Tyrrhenus genuit parens. 

0, quamvis neque te munera, nee preces, 
Nee tinctus viola pallor amantium, 
Nee vir Pieria pellice saucius 15 

Curvat : supplicibus tuis 

Parcas, ncc rigida mollior aesculo, 
Nee Mauris anirnum mitior anguibus. 
Non noc semper erit liminis aut aquae 

Coelestis patiens latus. 20 

Carmen XI. 
AD LYDEN. 

Mercuri, nam te docilis magistro 

Movit Amphion lapides canendo, 

Tuque, Testudo, resonare septem 

Callida nervis, 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 11. 71 

Nec loquax olim neque grata, nunc et 5 

Divitum mensis et arnica templis : 
Die modos, Lyde quibus obstinatas 
Applicet aures. 

Q,uae, velut latis equa trima campis, 
Ludit exsultim, metuitque tangi, 10 

Nuptiarum expers, et adhuc protervo 
Cruda marito. 

Tu potes tigres comitesque silvas 
Ducere, et rivos celeres morari, 
Cessit immanis tibi blandienti 15 

Janitor aulae, 

Cerberus, quamvis furiale centum 
Muniant angues caput, aestuetque 
Spiritus teter saniesque manet 

Ore trilingui. 20 

Q,uin et Ixion Tityosque vultu 
Risit invito : stetit urna paulum 
Sicca, dum grato Danai puellas 
Carmine mulces. 

Audiat Lyde scelus atquc notas 25 

Virginum poenas, et inane lymphae 
Dolium fundo pereuntis imo, 
Seraque fata, 

duae manent culpas etiam sub Oreo. 
Impiae, nam quid potuere majus ? 30 

Impiae sponsos potuere duro 
Perdere ferro. 

Una de multis, face nuptiali 
Digna, perjurum fuit in parentem 
Splendide mendax, et in omne virgo 35 

Nobilis aevum. 



72 d. HORATII FLACCI 

" Surge," quae dixit juveni marito, 
" Surge, ne longus tibi somnus, unde 
Non times, detur : socerum et scelestas 

Falle sorores ; 40 

Q,uae, velut nactae vitulos leaenae, 
Singulos, eheu ! lacerant. Ego, illis 
Mollior, nee te feriam, neque intra 
Claustra tenebo. 

Me pater saevis oneret catenis, 45 

Quod viro clemens misero peperci : 
Me vel extremos Numidarum in agros 
Classe releget. 

I, pedes quo te rapiunt et aurae, 
Durn favet nox et Venus : I secundo 50 

Oinine : et nostri memorem sepulcro 
Scalpe querelam." 



Carmen XII. 

AD NEOBULEN. 

Miserarum est, neque Amori dare ludum, neque dulci 

Mala vino lavere : aut exanimari metuentes 

Patruae verbera linguae. Tibi qualum Cythereae 

Puer ales, tibi telas, operosaeque Miner vae 

Studium aufert, Neobule, Liparei nitor Hebri, 5 

Simul unctos Tiberinis humeros lavit in undis, 

Eques ipso melior Bellerophonte, neque pugno 

Neque segni pede victus : catus idem per apertum 

Fugientes agitato grege cervos jaculari, et 

Celer arcto latitantem fruticeto excipere aprum. 10 



CARMINUM LIB. HI. 13. 14. 73 

Carmen XIII. 

AD FONTEM BANDUSIUM. 

O fons Bandusiae, splendidior vitro, 
Dulci digne mero, non sine floribus, 
Cras donaberis haedo, 
Cui frons turgida cornibus 

Primis et Venerem et proelia destinat : 5 

Frustra : nam gelidos inficiet tibi 
Rubro sanguine rivos 
Lascivi suboles gregis. 

Te flagrantis atrox hora Caniculae 
Nescit tangere : tu frigus amabile 10 

Fessis vomere tauris 
Praebes, et pecori vago. 

Fies nobilium tu quoque fontium, 
Me dicente cavis iinpositam ilicem 

Saxis, unde loquaces 15 

Lymphae desiliunt tuae. 

Carmen XIV. 

AD ROMANO S. 

Herculis ritu modo dictus, O Plebs ! 
Morte venalem petiisse laurum, 
Caesar Hispana repetit Penates 
Victor ab ora. 

Unico gaudens mulier marito 5 

Prodeat, justis operata divis ; 
Et soror clari ducis, et decorae 
Supplice vitta 



74 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Virginum matres, juvenumque nuper 
Sospitum. Vos o pueri, et puellae 
Jam virum expertes, male nominatis 
Parcite verbis. 

Hie dies vere mihi festus atras 
Eximet curas : ego nee tumultum, 
Nee mori per vim metuam, tenente 
Caesare terras. 

I, pete unguentum, puer, et coronas, 
Et cadum Marsi memorem duelli, 
Spartacum si qua potuit vagantem 
Fallere testa. 

Die et argutae properet Neaerae 
Myrrheum nodo cohibere crinem : 
Si per invisum mora janitorem 
Fiet, abito. 

Lenit albescens animos capillus 
Litium et rixae cupidos protervae : 
Non ego hoc ferrem, calidus juventa, 
Consule Planco. 



Carmen XV. 
AD CHLORIN. 

Uxor pauperis Ibyci, 

Tandem nequitiae fige modum tuae, 
Famosisque laboribus : 

Maturo propior desine funeri 
Inter ludere virgines, 

Et stellis nebulam spargere candidis. 
Non, si quid Pholoen satis, 

Et te, Chlori, decet : filia rectius 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 16. 75 

Expugnat juvenum domos, 

Pulso Thyias uti concita tympano. 10 

Ulam cogit amor Nothi 

Lascivae similem ludere capreae : 
Te lanae prope nobilem 

Tonsae Luceriam, non citharae, decent, 
Nee flos purpureus rosae, 15 

Nee poti, vetulam, faece terms cadi. 



Carmen XVI. 
AD MAECENATEM. 

Inclusam Danaen turns aenea, 
Robustaeque fores, et vigilum canum 
Tristes excubiae munierant satis 
Nocturnis ab adulteris, 

Si non Acrisium, virginis abditae b 

Custodem pavidum, Jupiter et Venus 
Risissent : fore enim tutum iter et patens 
Converso in pretium deo. 

Aurum per medios ire satellites, 
Et perrumpere amat saxa potentius 10 

Ictu fulmineo ! Concidit auguris 
Argivi domus, ob lucrum 

Demersa exitio. Diffidit urbium 
Portas vir Macedo, et subruit aemulos 
Reges muneribus. Munera navium 15 

Saevos illaqueant duces. 

Crescentem sequitur cura pecuniam, 
Majorumque fames. Jure perhorrui 
Late conspicuum tollere verticem, 

Maecenas, equitum decus ! 20 

10 



76 Q. HOUATII FLACCI 

Q,uanto quisque sibi plura negaverit, 
Ab dls plura feret. Nil cupientium 
Nudus castra peto, et transfuga divitum 
Partes linquere gestio ; 

Contemtae dominus splendidior rei, 25 

Quam si, quidquid arat impiger Appulus, 
Occultare meis dicerer horreis, 
Magnas inter opes inops. 

Purae rivus aquae, silvaque jugerum 
Paucorum, et segetis certa fides meae, 30 

Fulgentem imperio fertilis Africae 
Fallit. Sorte beatior, 

Q,uamquam nee Calabrae mella ferunt apes, 
Nee Laestrygonia Bacchus in amphora 
Languescit mihi, nee pinguia Gallicis 35 

Crescunt vellera pascuis : 

Importuna tamen Pauperies abest ; 
Nee, si plura velim, tu dare deneges. 
Contracto melius parva cupidine 

Vectigalia porrigam, 40 

Q,uam si Mygdoniis regnum Alyattei 
Campis continuem. Multa petentibus 
Desunt multa. Bene est, cui Deus obtulit 
Parca, quod satis est, manu. 



Carmen XVII. 

AD AELIUM LAMIAM. 

Aeu, vetusto nobilis ab Lamo ! 
[Gluando et priores hinc Lamias ferunt 
Denominatos, et nepotum 

Per memores genus omne fastos 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 18. 77 

Auctore ab illo ducit originem,] 
Qui Formiarum moenia dicitur 
Princeps et innantem Maricae 
Litoribus tenuisse Lirim, 

Late tyrannus : eras foliis nemus 
Multis et alga litus inutili 10 

Demissa tempestas ab Euro 
Sternet, aquae nisi fallit augur 

Annosa comix. Dum potis, aridum 
Compone lignum : eras Genium mero 

Curabis et porco bimestri, 16 

Cum famulis operum solutis. 



Carmen XVIII. 

AD FAUNUM. 

Faune, Nympharum fugientum amator, 
Per meos fines et apnea rura 
Lenis incedas, abeasque parvis 
Aequus alumnis : 

Si tener pleno cadit haedus anno, 5 

Larga nee desunt Veneris sodali 
Vina craterae, vetus ara multo 
Fumat odore. 

Ludit herboso pecus omne campo, 

Q,uum tibi Nonae redeunt Decembres : 10 

Festus in pratis vacat otioso 

Cum bove pagus : 

Inter audaces lupus errat agnos : 
Spargit agrestes tibi silva frondes : 
Gaudet invisam pepulisse fossor 15 

Ter pede terra.m. 



78 Q. HORATII FLACC1 

Carmen XIX. 
AD TELEPHUM. 

Quantum distet ab Inacho 

Codrus, pro patria non timidus mori, 
Narras, ct genus Aeaci, 

Et pugnata sacro bella sub Ilio : 
duo Chiuin pretio cadura 5 

Mercemur, quis aquam temperet ignibus, 
Q,uo praebente domum ct quota 

Pelignis caream frigoribus, taces. 
Da Lunae propere novae, 

Da Noctis mediae, da, puer, auguris 10 

Murenae : tribus aut novem 

Miscentor cyathis pocula commodis. 
Qui Musas amat impares, 

Ternos ter cyathos attonitus petet 
Yates : tres prohibet supra 15 

Rixarum metuens tangere Gratia, 
Nudis juncta sororibus. 

Tnsanire juvat : cur Berecyntiae 
Cessant flamina tibiae 1 

Cur pendet tacita fistula cum lyra ? 20 

Parcentes ego dexteras 

Odi : sparge rosas : audiat invidus 
Dementem strepitum Lycus 

Et vicina seni non habilis Lyco. 
Spissa te nitidum coma, 25 

Puro te similem, Telephe, Vespero, 
Tempestiva petit Rhode : 

Me lentus Glycerae torret amor meae. 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 20. 21. 79 

Carmen XX. 

AD PYRRHUM. 

Non vides, quanto moveas periclo, 
Pyrrhe, Gaetulae catulos leaenae 1 
Dura post paulo fugies inaudax 
Proelia raptor 

Q,uum per obstantes juvenum catervas 5 

Ibit insignem repetens Nearchum : 
Grande certamen, tibi praeda cedat 
Major an illi. 

Interim, dum tu celeres sagittas 
Promis, haec dentes acuit timendos, 10 

Arbiter pugnae posuisse nudo 
Sub pede palmam 

Fertur, et leni recreare vento 
Sparsum odoratis humerum capillis ; 
Glualis aut Nireus fuit, aut aquosa 15 

Raptus ab Ida. 

Carmen XXI. 

AD AMPHORAM. 

O nata mecum consule Manlio, 
Seu tu querelas, sive geris jocos, 
Seu nxam et insanos amores, 
Seu facilem pia, Testa, somnum ; 

Quocunque laetum nomine Massicum 5 

Servas, moveri digna bono die, 
Descende, Corvino jubente 
Promere languidiora vina. 
10* 



80 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Non ille, quamquam Socraticis madet 
Sermonibus, te negliget horridus : 10 

Narratur et prisci Catonis 
Saepe mero caluisse virtus. 

Tu lene tormentum ingenio admovea 
Plerumque duro . tu sapientium 

Curas et arcanum jocoso 15 

Consilium retegis Lyaeo : 

Tu spem reducis mcntibus anxiis 
Viresque : et addis cornua pauperi, 
Post te neque iratos trementi 

Regum apices, neque militum arma. 20 

Te Liber, et, si laeta aderit, Venus, 

Segnesque nodum solvere Gratiae, 

Vivaeque producent lucemae, 

Dum rediens fugat astra Phoebus. 



Carmen XXII. 
AD DIANAM. 

Montium custos nemorumque, Virgo, 
Quae laborantes utero puellas 
Ter vocata audis, adimisque leto, 
Diva triformis : 

Imminens villae tua pinus esto, 
Q,uam per exactos ego laetus annos 
Verris obliquum meditantis ictum 
Sanguine donem. 



CARMINUM LIB. HI. 23, 24, 81 

Carmen XXIII. 
AD PHIDYLEN. 

Coelo supinas si tuleris manus 
Nascente Luna, rustica Phidyle, 
Si thure placards et homa 

Fruge Lares, avidaque porca : 

Nee pestilentem sentiet Africum 5 

Fecunda vitis, nee sterilem seges 
Robiginem, aut dulces alumni 
Pomifero grave tempus anno. 

Nam, quae nivali pascitur Algido 
Devota quercus inter et ilices, 10 

Aut crescit Albanis in herbis, 
Victima, pontificum securim 

Cervice tinguet. Te nihil attinet 
Tentare multa caede bidentium 

Parvos coronantem marino 15 

Rore deos fragilique myrto. 

Immunis aram si tetigit manus, 
Non sumtuosa blandior hostia 
Mollivit aversos Penates 

Farre pio et saliente mica. 20 



Carmen XXIV. 

Intactis opulentior 

Thesauris Arabum et divitis Xndiae, 
Caementis licet occupes 

Tyrrhenum omne tuis et mars Apulicum, 



82 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Si figit adamantinos 5 

Summis verticibus dira Necessitas 
Clavos, non animum metu 

Non mortis laqueis expedies caput. 
Campestres melius Scythae, 

Quorum plaustra vagas rite trahunt domos, 10 
Vivunt, et rigidi Getae : 

Immetata quibus jugera liberas 
Fruges et Cererem ferunt, 

Nee cultura placet longior annua : 
Defunctumque laboribus 15 

Aequali recreat sorte vicarius. 
Illic matre carentibus 

Privignis mulier temperat imiocens : 
Nee dotata regit virum 

Conjux, nee nitido fldit adultero : 20 

Dos est magna parentium 

Virtus, et metuens alterius viri 
Certo foedere castitas, 

Et peccare nefas, aut pretium emori. 
O quis, quis volet impias 25 

Caedes et rabiem tollere civicam ? 
Si quaeret Pater Urbium 

Subscribi statuis, indomitam audeat 
Refrenare licentiam, 

Clarus postgenitis, quatenus, heu nefas ! 30 

Virtutem incolumem odimus, 

Sublatam ex oculis quaerimus invidi. 
Quid tristes querimoniae, 

Si non supplicio culpa reciditur ? 
Gluid leges, sine moribus 35 

Vanae, proficiunt, si neque fervidis 
Pars inclusa caloribus 

Mundi, nee Boreae finitimum latus, 
Durataeque polo nives, 

Mercatorem abigunt ? horrida callidi 40 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 25. 83 

Vincunt aequora navitae ? 

Magnum pauperies opprobrium jubet 
Gluidvis et facere et pati, 

Virtutisque viam deserit arduae ? 
Vel nos in Capitolium, 45 

duo clamor vocat et turba faventium, 
Vel nos in mare proximum 

Gemmas, et lapides, aurum et inutile, 
Summi materiem mali, 

Mittamus, scelerum si bene poenitet. 50 

Eradenda cupidinis, 

Pravi sunt elementa : et tenerae nimis 
Mentes asperioribus 

Firmandae studiis. Nescit equo rudis 
Haerere ingenuus puer, 55 

Venarique timet ; ludere doctior, 
Seu Graeco jubeas trocho, 

Seu malis vetita legibus alea : 
Gluum perjura patris fides 

Consortem, socium fallat, et hospitem, 60 

Indignoque pecuniam 

Haeredi properet. Scilicet improbae 
Crescunt divitiae : tamen 

Curiae nescio quid semper abest rei. 



Carmen XXV. 

4D BACCHUM. 

Cluo me, Bacche, rapis tui 

Plenum 1 Quae nemora 1 quos agor in specus, 
Velox mente nova ? Q,uibus 

Antris egregii Caesaris audiar 
4eternum meditans decus 

Stellis inserere et consilio Jovis % 



84 Q_. HORATII FLACCI 

Dicam insigne, recens, adhuc 

Indictum ore alio. Non secus in jugis 
Exsomnis stupet Euias, 

Hebrum prospiciens, et nive candidam 10 

Thracen, ac pede barbaro 

Lustratam Rhodopen. Ut mini devio 
Ripas et vacuum nemus 

Mirari libet ! O Naiadum potens 
Baccharumque valentium 15 

Proceras manibus vertere fraxinos : 
Nil parvum aut humili modo, 

Nil mortale loquar. Dulce periculum, 
O Lenaee ! sequi deum 

Cingentem viridi tempora pampino. 20 



Carmen XXVI. 

AD VENEREM. 

Vixi puellis nuper idone is, 
Et militavi non sine gloria : 

Nunc arma defunctumque bello 
Barbiton hie paries habebit, 

Laevum marinae qui Veneris latus 5 

Custodit. Hie, hie ponite lucida 
Funalia, et vectes, et harpas 
Oppositis foribus minaces. 

O quae beatam, diva, tenes Cyprum, et 
Memphin carentem Sithonia nive, 10 

Regina, sublimi flagello 
Tange Chloen semel arrogantem. 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 27. 85 

Carmen XXVII. 

AD GALATEAM. 

Impios parrae recinentis omen 
Ducat, et praegnans canis, aut ab agro 
Rava decurrens lupa Lanivino, 
Fetaque vulpes : 

Rumpat et serpens iter institutum, 5 

Si per obliquum similis sagittae 
Terruit mannos. — Ego cui timebo, 
Providus auspex, 

Antequam stantes repetat paludes 
Imbrium divina avis imminentum, 10 

Oscinem corvum prece suscitabo 
Solis ab ortu. 

Sis licet feiix, ubicunque mavis, 
At memor nostri, Galatea, vivas : 
Teque nee laevus vetet ire picus, 15 

Nee vaga cornix. 

Sed vides, quanto trepidet tumultu 
Pronus Orion. Ego, quid sit ater 
Adriae, novi, sinus, et quid albus 

Peccet Iapyx. 20 

Hostium uxores puerique caecos 
Sentiant motus orientis Austri, et 
Aequoris nigri fremitum, et trementes 
Verbere ripas. 

Sic et Europe niveum doloso 25 

Credidit tauro latus ; at scatentem 
Belluis pontum mediasque fraudes 
Palluit audax. 



86 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Nupei in pratis studiosa florum, et 
Debitae Nymphis opifex coronae, 30 

Nocte sublustri nihil astra praeter 
Vidit et undas. 

Quae simul centum tetigit potentem 
Oppidis Creten, " Pater ! O relictum 
Filiae nomen ! pietasque," dixit. 35 

" Vict a furore ! 

Unde 1 quo veni ? Levis una mors est 
Virginum culpae. Vigilansne ploro 
Turpe commissum 1 an vitio carentem 

Ludit imago 40 

Vana, quam e porta fugiens eburna 
Somnium ducit 1 Meliusne fluctus 
Ire per longos fuit, an recentes 
Carpere flores ? 

Si quis infamem mihi nunc juvencum 46 

Dedat iratae, lacerare ferro et 
Frangere enitar modo multum amati 
Cornua monstri ! 

Impudens liqui patrios Penates : 
Impudens Orcum moror ! O deorum 50 

Si quis haec audis, utinam inter errem 
Nuda leones ! 

Antequam turpis macies decentes 
Occupet malas, teneraeque succus 
Defluat praedae, speciosa quaero 55 

Pascere tigres. 

Vilis Europe, pater urguet absens, 
Quid mori cessas 1 Potes hac ab orno 
Pendulum zona bene te secuta 

Laedere collum. 60 



CARMINUM LIB. III. 28. 87 

Sive te rupes et acuta leto 
Saxa delectant, age, te procellae 
Crede veloci : nisi herile mavis 
Carpere pensum, 

(Regius sanguis !) dominaeque tradi 65 

Barbarae pellex." Aderat querenti 
Perfidum ridens Venus, et remisso 
Filius arcu. . 

Mox, ubi lusit satis, " Abstineto," 
Dixit, " irarum calidaeque rixae, 70 

Q,uum tibi invisus laceranda reddet 
Cornua taurus. 

Uxor invicti Jo vis esse nescis : 
Mitte singultus ; bene ferre magnam 
Disce fortunam : tua sectus orbis 75 

Nomina ducet." 



Carmen XXVIII. 

AD LYDEN. 

Festo quid potius die 

Neptuni faciam 1 Prome reconditum, 
Lyde strenua, Caecubum, 

Munitaeque adhibe vim sapientiae. 
Inclinare meridiem 5 

Sentis : ac, veluti stet volucris dies, 
Parcis deripere horreo 

Cessantem Bibuli Consulis amphoram 1 
Nos cantabimus invicem 

Neptunum, et virides Nereidum choros : 10 

Tu curva recines lyra 

Latonam, et celeris spicula Cynthiae : 



9_. HOIUTII FLACC! 

Summo carmine, quae Gnidon 

Fulgentesque tenet Cycladas, et Paphot 

Junctis visit oloribus : 15 

Dicetur merita Nox quoque naenia. 

Carmen XXIX. 
AD MAECENATEM. 

Tyrrhena regum progenies, tibi 
Non ante verso lene merum cado, 
Cum flore, Maecenas, rosarum, et 
Pressa tuis balanus capilbs 

Jam dudum apud me est. Eripe te morae: 5 

Ut semper-udum Tibur, et Aesulae 
Declive contempleris arvum, et 
Telegoni juga parricidae. 

Fastidiosam desere copiam et 
Molem propinquam nubibus arduis : 10 

Omitte mirari beatae 

Fumum et opes strepitumque Romae. 

Plerumque gratae divitibus vices, 
Mundaeque parvo sub lare pauperum 

Coenae, sine aulaeis et ostro, 15 

SolHcitam explicuere frontem. 

Jam clarus occultum Andromedae pater 
Ostendit ignem : jam Procyon furit 
Et stella vesani Leonis, 

Sole dies referente siccos. 20 

Jam pastor umbras cum grege languido 
Rivumque fessus quaerit, et horridi 
Dumeta Silvani : caretque 
Ripa vagis taciturna ventis. 



CARMINUM LIB. HI. 29. 89 

Tu civitatem quis deceat status 25 

Curas, et Urbi sollicitus times, 
Quid Seres et regnata Cyro 

Bactra parent Tanaisque discors. 

Prudens futuri temporis exitum 
Caliginosa nocte premit deus, 30 

Ridetque, si mortalis ultra 
Fas trepidat. Quod adest memento 

Componere aequus : cetera fluminis 
Ritu feruntur, nunc medio alveo 

Cum pace delabentis Etruscum 35 

In mare, nunc lapides adesos, 

Stirpesque raptas, et pecus et domos 
Volventis una, non sine montium 
Clamore vicinaeque silvae, 

Gluum fera diluvies quietos 40 

Irritat amnes. Ille potens sui 
Laetusque deget, cui licet in diem 
Dixisse, " Vixi : eras vel atra 
Nube polum Pater occupato 

Vel sole puro : non tamen irritum, 45 

Q,uodcunque retro est, efficiet : neque 
Diffinget infectumque reddet, 
Q,uod fugiens semel hora vexit." 

Fortuna saevo laeta negotio, et 
Ludum insolentem ludere pertinax, 50 

Transmutat incertos honores, 
Nunc mihi, nunc alii benigna. 

Laudo manentem : si celeres quatit 
Pennas, resigno quae dedit, et mea 

Virtute me involvo, probamque 55 

Pauperiem sine dote quaero. 



90 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Non est meum, si mugiat Africis 
Malus procellis, ad miseras preces 
Decurrere ; et votis pacisci, 
Ne Cypriae Tyriaeve merces 60 

Addant avaro divitias mari. 
Turn mc, biremis praesidio scaphae 
Tutum, per Aegaeos tumultus 
Aura feret geminusque Pollux. 

Carmen XXX. 

Exegi monimentum aere perennius, 

Regalique situ pyramid um altius ; 

Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens 

Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis 

Annorum series et fuga temporum. 

Non ononis moriar ! multaque pars mei 

Vitabit Libitinam. Usque ego postera 

Crescam laude recens, dum Capitolium 

Scandet cum tacita Virgine pontifex. 

Dicar, qua violens obstrepit Aufidus, 10 

Et qua pauper aquae Daunus agrestium 

Regnavit populorum, ex humili potens, 

Princeps Aeolium carmen ad Italos 

Deduxisse modos. Sume superbiam 

GLuaesitam mentis, et mini Delphica 15 

Lauro cinge volens, Melpomene, comam. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

CARMINUM 

LIBER QUARTUS. 



Carmen I. 
AD VENEREM. 



intermissa, Venus, diu 

Rursus bella moves. Parce, precor, precor 1 
Non sum, qualis eram bonae 

Sub regno Cinarae. Desine, dulcium 
Mater saeva Cupidinum, 5 

Circa lustra decern flectere mollibus 
Jam durum imperiis. Abi, 

Quo blandae juvenum te revocant preces. 
Tempestivius in domum 

Paulli, purpureis ales oloribus, 10 

Comissabere Maximi, 

Si torrere jecur quaeris idoneum. 
Namque et nobilis, et decens, 

Et pro sollicitis non tacitus reis, 
Et centum puer artium, 15 

Late signa feret militiae tuae : 
Et quandoque potentior 

Largis muneribus riserit aemuli, 
Albanos prope te lacus 

Ponet rnarmoream, sub trabe citrea. 20 

11* 



92 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Ulic plurima naribus 

Duces thura, lyraeque et Berecyntiae 
Delectabere tibiae 

Mixtis carminibus, non sine fistula. 
Illic bis pueri die 

Numen cum teneris virginibus tuum 
Laudantes, pede candido 

In morem Salium ter quatient humum. 
Me nee femina, nee puer 

Jam, nee spes animi credula mutui, 
Nee certare juvat mero, 

Nee vincire novis tempora floribus. 
Sed cur, heu, Ligurine, cur 

Manat rara meas lacrima per genas ? 
Cur facunda parum decoro 

Inter verba cadit lingua silentio 1 
Nocturnis ego somniis 

Jam captum teneo, jam volucrem sequor 
Te per gramina Martii 

Campi, te per aquas, dure, volubiles. 



Carmen II. 
AD IULUM ANTONIUM. 

Pindarum quisquis studet aemulari, 
Iule, ceratis ope Daedalea 
Nititur pennis, vitreo daturus 
Nomina ponto. 

Monte decurrens velut amnis, imbres 
Gluem super notas aluere ripas, 
Fervet immensusque ruit profundo 
Pindarus ore ; 



CARMINUM LIB. IV. 2. 93 

Laurea donandus Apollinari, 
Seu per audaces nova dithyramboa 10 

Verba devolvit, numerisque fertur 
Lege solutis : 

Seu deos, regesve canit, deorum 
Sanguinem, per quos cecidere justo 
Marte Centauri, cecidit tremendae 15 

Flamma Chimaerae : 

Sive, quos Elea domum reducit 
Palma coelestes, pugilemve equumve 
Dicit, et centum potiore signis 

Munere donat : 20 

Flebili sponsae juvenemve raptum 
Plorat, et vires animumque moresque 
Aureos educit in astra, nigroque 
Invidet Oreo. 

Multa Dircaeum levat aura eyenum, 25 

Tendit, Antoni, quoties in altos 
Nubium tractus : ego, apis Matinae 
More modoque, 

Grata carpentis thyma per laborem 
Plurimum, circa nemus uvidique 30 

Tiburis ripas operosa parvus 
Carmina fingo. 

Concines majore poeta plectro 
Caesarem, quandoque trahet feroces 
Per sacrum clivum, merita decorus 35 

Fronde, Sygambros : 

duo nihil majus meliusve terns 

Fata donavere bonique divi, 

Nee dabunt, quamvis redeant in aurum 

Tempora priseum. 40 



94 Q. HORATII PLACCI 

Concines laetosque dies, et Urbi3 
Publicum ludum, super impetrato 
Fortis Augusti reditu, forumque 
Litibus orbum. 

Turn meae (si quid loquor audiendum) 
Vocis accedet bona pars : et, " O Sol 
Pulcher, O laudande," canam, recepto 
Caesare felix. 

Tuque dum procedis, " Io triumphe !" 
Non semel dicemus, " Io triumphe !" 
Civitas omnis, dabimusque divis 
Thura benignis. 

Te decern tauri totidemque vaccae, 
Me tener solvet vitulus, relicta 
Matre, qui largis juvencscit herbis 
In mea vota, 

Fronte curvatos imitatus ignes 
Tertium Lunae referentis ortum, 
Q,ua notam duxit niveus videri, 
Caetera fulvus. 



Carmen III. 
AD MELPOMENEN. 

Quern tu, Melpomene, semel 

Nascentem placido lumine videris, 
Ilium non labor Isthmius 

Clarabit pugilem, non equus impiger 
Curru ducet Achaico 

Victorem, neque res bellica Deliis 
Ornatum foliis ducem, 

Q,uod regum tumidas contuderit minas, 



CARMINUM LIB. IV. 4. 95 

Ostendet Capitolio : 

Sed quae Tibur aquae fertile praefluunt, 10 

Et spissae nemorum comae, 

Fingent Aeolio carmine nobilem. 
Romae principis urbium 

Dignatur suboles inter amabiles 
Vatum ponere me choros : 15 

Et jam dente minus mordeor invido. 
O, testudinis aureae 

Dulcem quae strepitum, Pieri, temperas : 
O, mutis quoque piscibus 

Donatura cycni, si libeat, sonum ! 20 

Totum muneris hoc tui est, 

Q,uod monstror digito praetereuntium 
Romanae fidicen lyrae : 

Q,uod spiro et placeo, (si placeo,) tuum est. 



Carmen IV. 
DRUSI LAUDES. 

Glualem ministrum fulminis alitem, 
Cui rex deorurn regnum in aves vagas 
Permisit, expertus fidelem 
Jupiter in Ganymede flavo, 

Olim juventas et patrius vigor 5 

Nido laborum propubt inscium : 
Vernique, jam nimbis remotis, 
Insolitos docuere nisus 

Venti paventem : mox in ovilia 
Demisit hostem vividus impetus : 10 

Nunc in reluctantes dracones 
Egit amor dapis atque pugnae : 



96 



Q. HORAT1I FLACX'I 

Qualemve Iaetis caprea pascuis 
Intenta, fulvae matris ab ubere 

Jam lacte depulsum leonem, 15 

Dente novo peritura, vidit : 

Videre Raetis bella sub Alpibus 
Drusum gerentem Vindelici : [quibus 
Mos unde deductus per omne 

Tempus Amazonia securi 20 

Dextras obarmet, quaerere distuli : 
Nee scire fas est omnia :] sed diu 
Lateque victrices catervae, 
Consiliis juvenis revictae, 

Sensere, quid mens rite, quid indoles, 25 

Nutrita faustis sub penetralibus, 
Posset, quid Augusti paternus 
In pueros animus Nerones. 

Fortes creantur fortibus : et bonis 
Est in juvencis, est in equis patrum 30 

Virtus : neque imbellem feroces 
Progenerant aquilae columbam. 

Doctrina sed vim promovet insitam, 
Rectique cultus pectora roborant , 

Utcunque defecere mores, 35 

Indecorant bene nata culpae. 

Q,uid debeas, o Roma, Neronibus, 
Testis Metaurum flumen, et Hasdrubal 
Devictus, et pulcher fugatis 

Ille dies Latio tenebris, 40 

Qui primus alma risit adorea, 
Dirus per urbes Afer ut Italas, 
Ceu flamma per taedas, vel Eurus 
Per Siculas equitavit undas. 



CARMINUM LIB. IV. 4. 97 

Post hoc secundis usque laboribus 45 

Romana pubes crevit, et impio 
Vastata Poenorum tumultu 
Fana deos habuere rectos : 

Dixitque tandem perfidus Hannibal : 
" Cervi, luporum praeda rapacium, 60 

Sectamur ultro, quo's opimus 

Fallere et effugere est triumphus. 

Gens, quae cremato fortis ab Ilio 
Jactata Tuscis aequoribus sacra, 

Natosque maturosque patres 55 

Pertulit Ausonias ad urbes, 

Duris ut ilex tonsa bipennibus 
Nigrae feraci frondis in Algido, 
Per damna, per caedes, ab ipso 

Ducit opes animumque ferro. 60 

Non Hydra secto corpore firmior 
Vinci dolentem crevit in Herculem : 
Monstrumve submisere Colchi 
Majus, Echioniaeve Thebae. 

Merses profundo, pulchrior evenit : 65 

Luctere, multa proruet integrum 
Cum laude victorem, geretque 
Proelia conjugibus loquenda. 

Carthagini jam non ego nuntios 
Mittam superbos : occidit, occidit 70 

Spes omnis et fortuna nostri 
Nominis, Hasdrubale interemto. 

Nil Claudiae non perficient manus : 
Q,uas et benigno numine Jupiter 

Defendit, et curae sagaces 75 

Expediunt per acuta belli. 



98 Q. HORATIl PLACCI 

Carmen V. 

AD AUGUSTUM. 

Divis orte bonis, optime Romulae 
Custos gentis, abes jam nimium diu : 
Maturum reditum pollicitus Patrurn 
Sancto consilio, redi. 

Lucem redde tuae, dux bone, patriae : 
Instar veris enim vultus ubi tuus 
Affulsit populo, gratior it dies, 

Et soles melius nitent. 

Ut mater juvenem, quern Notus invido 
Flatu Carpathii trans maris aequora 
Cunctantem spatio longius annuo 
Dulci distinet a domo, 

Votis ominibusque et precibus vocat, 
Curvo nee faciem litore demovet : 
Sic desideriis icta fidelibus 

duaerit patria Caesarem. 

Tutus bos etenim tuta perambulat : 
Nutrit rura Ceres, almaque Faustitas : 
Pacatum volitant per mare navitae : 
Culpari metuit Fides : 

Nullis polluitur casta domus stupris : 
Mos et lex maculosum edomuit nefas : 
Laudantur simili prole puerperae : 

Culpam Poena premit comes. 

Quis Parthurn paveat? quis gelidurn Scythen? 
Q,uis, Germania quos horrida parturit 
Fetus, incolumi Caesare 1 quis ferae 
Bellum curet Iberiae ? 



CARMINUM MB. IV. 6. 99 

Condit quisque diem collibus in suis, 
Et vitem viduas ducit ad arbores : 30 

Hinc ad vina venit laetus, et alteris 
Te mensis adhibet deum : 

Te multa prece, te prosequitur mero 
Defuso pateris : et Laribus tuum 
Miscet numen, uti Graecia Castoris 35 

Et magni memor Herculis. 

Longas o utinam, dux bone, ferias 
Praestes Hesperiae ! dicimus integro 
Sicci mane die, dicimus uvidi, 

Q,uum Sol oceano subest. 40 



Carmen VI. 

AD APOLLINEM. 

Dive, quem proles Niobea magnae 
Vindicem linguae, Tityosque raptor 
Sensit, et Trojae prope victor altae 
Phthius Achilles, 

Caeteris major, tibi miles impar ; 5 

Filius quamquam Thetidos marinae 
Dardanas turres quateret tremenda 
Cuspide pugnax. 

Ille, mordaci velut icta ferro 

Pinus, aut impulsa cupressus Euro, 10 

Procidit late posuitque collum in 
Pulvere Teucro. 

Ille non, inclusus equo Minervae 
Sacra mentito, male feriatos 

Troas et laetam Priami choreis 15 

Falleret aulam ; 
12 



100 Q. HORATH FLACCI 

Sed palam captis gravis, heu nefas ! heu 1 
Nescios fan pueros Achivis 
CJreret flammis, etiam latentem 

Mauis in alvo: 20 

Ni, tuis fiexus Venerisque gratae 
Vocibus, diviim pater adnuisset 
Rebus Aeneae potiore ductos 
Alite muros. 

Doctor Argivae fidicen Thaliae, 25 

Phoebe, qui Xantho lavis amne crines, 
Dauniae defende decus Camenae, 
Levis Agyieu. 

Spiritum Phoebus mihi, Phoebus artem 
Carminis, nomenque dedit poetae. 30 

Virginum primae, puerique claris 
Patribus orti, 

Deliae tutela deae, fugaces 
Lyncas et cervos cohibentis arcu, 
Lesbium servate pcdem, meique 35 

Poilicis ictum, 

Rite Latonae puerum canentes, 
Rite crescentem face Noctilucam, 
Prosperam frugum, celeremque pronos 

Volvere menses. 40 

Nupta jam dices : Ego dis amicum, 
Saeculo festas referente luces, 
Reddidi carmen, docilis modorum 
Vatis Horati. 



OARMINUM LIB. IV. 7. 101 



Carmen VII. 
AD TORQUATUM 

Diffugere nives ; redeunt jam gramina campis, 

Arboribusque comae : 
Mutat terra vices : et decrescentia ripas 

Flumina praetereunt : 
Gratia cum Nymphis geminisque sororibus audet 5 

Ducere nuda choros. 
Immortalia ne speres, monet Annus et almum 

Q,uae rapit Hora diem. 
Frigora mitescunt Zephyris : Ver proterit Aestas, 

nteritura, simul 10 

Pomifer Auctumnus fruges effuderit : et mox 

Bruma recurrit iners. 
Damna tamen celeres reparant coelestia lunae : 

Nos, ubi decidimus, 
duo pius Aeneas, quo dives Tullus et Ancus, 15 

Pulvis et umbra sumus. 
Q,uis scit, an adjiciant hodiernae crastina summae 

Tempora di superi ? 
Cuncta manus avidas fugient haeredis, amico 

Quae dedeiis animo. 20 

Q,uum semel occideris, et de te splendida Minos 

Fecerit arbitria : 
Non, Torquate, genus, non te facundia, non te 

Restituet pietas. 
Infernis neque enim tenebris Diana pudicum 25 

Liberat Hippolytum : 
Nee Lethaea valet Theseus abrumpere caro 

Vincula Pirithoo. 



102 q,. HORAT1I FLACCI 



Carmen VIII. 

AD CENSORINUM. 

Donarem pat eras grataque commodus, 
Censorine, meis aera sodalibus ; 
Donarem tripodas, praemia fortium 
Graiorum ; neque tu pessima munerum 
Ferres, divite me scilicet artium, 
Q,uas aut Parrhasius protulit, aut Scopas, 
Hie saxo, liquidis ille coloribus 
Sollers nunc hominem ponere, nunc deum. 
Sed non haec mihi vis : nee tibi talium 
Res est aut animus deliciarum egens. 
Gaudes carminibus ; carmina possumus 
Donare, et pretium dicere muneri. 
Non incisa notis marmora publicis, 
Per quae spiritus et vita redit bonis 
Post mortem ducibus ; non celeres fugae, 
Rejectaeque retrorsum Hannibalis minae, 
[Non stipendia Carthaginis impiae,] 
Ejus, qui domita nomen ab Africa 
Lucratus rediit, clarius indicant 
Laudes, quam Calabrae Pierides : neque, 
Si chartae sileant, quod bene feceris, 
Mercedem tuleiis. Q,uid foret Iliae 
Mavortisque puer, si taciturnitas 
Obstaret meritis invida Romuli 1 
Ereptum Stygiis fluctibus Aeacum 
Virtus et favor et lingua potentium 
Vatum divitibus consecrat insulis. 
Dignum laude virum Musa vetat mori : 
Coelo Musa beat. Sic Jovis interest 
Optatis epulis impiger Hercules : 



CARMINUM LIB. IV. 9. 103 

Clarum Tyndaridae sidus ab infimis 
duassas eripiunt aequoribus rates : 
Omatus viridi tempora pampino 
Liber vota bonos ducit ad exitus. 



Carmen IX. 

AD LOLLIUM. 

Ne forte credas interitura, quae, 
Longe sonantem natus ad Aufidum, , 
Non ante vulgatas per artes 
Verba loquor socianda chordis. 

Non, si priores Maeonius tenet 5 

Sedes Homerus, Pindaricae latent, 
Ceaeque, et Alcaei minaces, 
Stesichorique graves Camenae : 

Nee, si quid olim lusit Anacreon, 
Delevit aetas : spirat adhuc amor, 10 

Vivuntque commissi calores 
Aeoliae fidibus puellae. 

Non sola comtos arsit adulteri 
Crines, et aurum vestibus illitum 

Mirata, regalesque cultus 15 

Et comites Helene Lacaena : 

Primusve Teucer tela Cydonio 
Direxit arcu : non semel Ilios 
Vexata : non pugnavit ingens 

Idomeneus Sthenelusve solus 20 

Dicenda Musis proelia : non ferox 
Hector, vel acer Deiphobus graves 
Excepit ictus pro pudicis 

Conjugibus puerisque primus. 
12* 



104 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona 25 

Multi : sed omnes illacrimabiles 
Urguentur ignotique longa 
Nocte, carent quia vate sacro. 

Paulum sepultae distat inertiae 
Celata virtus. Non ego te meis 30 

Chartis inomatum silebo, 
Totve tuos patiar labores 

Impune, Lolli, carpere lividas 
Obliviones. Est animus tibi 

Rerumque prudens, et secundis 35 

Temporibus dubiisque rectus : 

Vindex avarae fraudis, et abstinens 
Ducentis ad se cuncta pecuniae : 
Consulque non unius anni, 

Sed quoties bonus atque fidus 40 

Judex honestum praetulit utili, 
Rejecit alto dona nocentium 
Vultu, per obstantes catervas 
Explicuit sua victor arma. 

Non possidentem multa vocaven3 45 

Recte beatum : rectius occupat 
Nomen beati, qui deorum 
Muneribus sapienter uti, 

Duramque callet pauperiern pati, 
Pej usque leto flagitium timet ; 50 

Non ille pro cans amicis 
Aut patria timidus perire. 



CARMINUM LIB. IV. 10. 11. 105 

Carmen X. 
AD LIGURINUM. 

O crudelis adhuc, et Veneris muneribus potens, 
Insperata tuae quum veniet pluma superbiae, 
Et, quae nunc humeris involitant, deciderint comae, 
Nunc et, qui color est puniceae flore prior rosae, 
Mutatus Ligurinum in faciem verterit hispidam : 5 

Dices, heu ! quoties te in speculo videos alterum, 
Q,uae mens est hodie, cur eadem non puero fuit ? 
Vel cur his animis incolumes non redeunt genae ? 

Carmen XI. 
AD PHYLLIDEM. 

Est mihi nonum superantis annum 
Plenus Albani cadus : est in horto, 
Phylli, nectendis apium coronis : 
Est ederae vis 

Multa, qua crines religata fulges : 5 

Ridet argento domus : ara casti3 
Vincta verbenis avet immolato 
Spargier agno : 

Cuncta festinat manus : hue et illuc 
Cursitant mixtae pueris puellae : 10 

Sordidum fiammae trepidant rotantes 
Venice fumum 

Ut tamen noris, quibus advoceris 
Gaudiis : Idus tibi sunt agendae, 
Q,ui dies mensem Veneris marinae 15 

Findit Aprilem : 



106 Q. HOR.VTII FI.ACCI 

Jure solennis mini, sanctiorque 
Paene natali proprio, quod ex hac 
Luce Maecenas meus affluentes 

Ordinat annos. 20 

Telephum, quem tu petis, occupavit, 
Non tuae sortis juvencm, puella 
Dives et lasciva, tenetque grata 
Compede vinctum. 

Terret ambustus Phaethon avaras 25 

Spes : et exemplum grave praebet ales 
Pegasus, terrenum equitem gravatus 
Bellerophontem : 

Semper ut te digna sequare, et, ultra 
Gluam licet sperare nefas putando, 30 

Disparem vites. Age jam, meorum 
Finis amorum, — 

Non enim posthac alia calebo 
Femina, — condisce modos, amanda 
Voce quos reddas : minuuntur atrae 35 

Carmine curae. 

Carmen XII. 
AD VIRGILIUM. 

Jam Veris comites, quae mare temperant, 
Impellunt animae lintea Thraciae : 
Jam nee prata rigent, nee fluvii strepunt 
Hibema nive turgidi. 

Nidum ponit, Ityn flebiliter gemens, 6 

Infelix avis, et Cecropiae domus 
Aeternum opprobrium, quod male barbaras 
Regum est ulta libidines. 



CAKMINUM LIB. IV. 13. 107 

Dicunt in tenero gramine pinguium 
Custodes ovium carmina fistula, 10 

Delectantque deum, cui pecus et nigrae 
Colles Arcadiae placent. 

Adduxere sitim tempora, Virgili : 
Sed pressum Calibus ducere Liberum 
Si gestis, juvenum nobilium cliens, 15 

Nardo vina mereberis. 

Nardi parvus onyx eliciet cadum, 
Qui nunc Sulpiciis accubat horreis 
Spes donare novas largus, amaraque 

Curarum eluere efficax. 20 

Ad quae si properas gaudia, cum tua 
Velox merce veni : non ego te meis 
Tmmunem meditor tinguere poculis, 
Plena dives ut in domo. 

Verum pone moras et studium lucri ; 25 

Nigrorumque memor, dum licet, ignium, 
Misce sultitiam consiliis brevem : 

Dulce est desipere in loco. 



Carmen XIII. 

AD LYCEN 

Audivere, Lyce, di mea vota, di 
Audivere, Lyce. Fis anus, et tamen 
Vis formosa videri, 

Ludisque et bibis impudens, 

Et cantu tremulo pota Cnpidinem 
Lentum sollicitas. Ille virentis et 
Doctae psallere Chiae 
Pulchris excubat in genis. 



108 Q. HORATII FI.ACCI 

Importunus enim transvolat aridas 
Cluercus, et refugit te, quia luridi 
Dentes te, quia rugae 
Turpant et capitis nives. 

Nee Coae referunt jam tibi purpurae, 
Nee clari lapides tempora, quae semel 
Notis condita fastis 
Inclusit volucris Dies. 

duo fugit Venus 1 heu ! quove color 1 decens 
Quo motus 1 quid habes illius, illius, 
Quae spirabat Amores, 
Gluae rne surpuerat mihi ? 

Felix post Cinaram notaque et artium 
Gratarum facies ! Sed Cinarae breves 
Annos fata dederunt, 
Servatura diu parem 

Cornicis vetulae temporibus Lycen : 
Possent ut juvenes visere fervidi, 
Multo non sine risu, 

Dilapsam in cineres facem. 



Carmen XIV. 

AD AUGUSTUM. 

Quae cura Patrum, quaeve Q,uiritium, 
Plenis honorum muneribus tuas, 
Auguste, virtutes in aevum 
Per titulos memoresque fastos 

Aeternet ? o, qua sol habitabiles 

Illustrat oras, maxjme principum ; 

Q,uem legis expertes Latinae 

Vindelici didicere nuper, 



CARMINUM LIB. IV. 14. 109 

Quid Marte posses. Milite nam tuo 
Drusus Genaunos, implacidum genus, 10 

Breunosque veloces, et arces 
Alpibus impositas tremendis, 

Dejecit acer plus vice simplici. 
Major Neronum mox grave proelium 

Commisit, immanesque Raetos 15 

Auspiciis pepulit secundis : 

Spectandus in certamine Martio, 
Devota morti pectora liberae 
Cluantis fatigaret minis : 

Indoinitas prope qualis undas 20 

Exercet Auster, Pleiadum choro 
Scindente nubes : impiger hostium 
Vexare turmas, et frementem 
Mittere equum medios per ignes. 

Sic tauriformis volvitur Aufidus, 25 

Q,ua regna Dauni praefluit Appuli, 
Quum saevit, horrendamque cultis 
Diluviem meditatur agris : 

Ut barbarorum Claudius agmina 
Ferrata vasto diruit impetu, 30 

Primosque et extremos metendo 
Stravit humum, sine elade victor, 

Te copias, te consilium et tuos 
Praebente divos. Nam, tibi quo die 

Portus Alexandrea supplex 35 

Et vacuam patefecit aulam, 

Fortuna lustro prospera tertio 
Belli secundos reddidit exitus, 
Laudemque et optatum peractis 
Imperiis elecus arrogavit. 



110 Q. HORATIl FLACCI 

Te Cantaber non ante domabilis, 
Medusque, et Indus, te profugus Scythes 
Miratur, o tutela praesens 
Italiae dominaeque Romae : 

Te, fontium qui celat origines, 45 

Nilusque, et Ister, te rapidus Tigris, 
Te belluosus qui remotis 

Obstrepit Oceanus Britannis : 

Te non parentis funera Galliae 
Duraeque teDus audit Iberiae : 50 

Te caede gaudentes Sygambri 
Compositis venerantur armis. 

Carmen XV. 

AUGUSTI LAUDES. 

Phoebus volentem proeha me loqui 
Victas et urbes, increpuit, lyra : 
Ne parva Tyrrhenum per aequor 
Vela darem. Tua, Caesar, aetas 

Fruges et agris retulit uberes, 5 

Et signa nostro restituit Jovi, 
Derepta Parthorum superbis 
Postibus, et vacuum duellis 

Janum Gluirinum clusit, et ordinem 
Rectum evaganti frena Licentiae 10 

Injecit, emovitque culpas, 
Et veteres revocavit artes : 

Per quas Latinum nomen et Italae 
Crevere vires,. famaque et imperi 

Porrecta majestas ad ortum 15 

Solis ab Hesperio cubili. 



CARMINUM LIB. IV. 15. Ill 

Custode rerum Caesare, non furor 
Civilis aut vis exiget otium, 
Non ira, quae procudit enses, 

Et miseras inimicat urbes. 20 

Non, qui profundum Danubium bibunt, 
Edicta rumpent Julia, non Getae, 
Non Seres, infidive Persae, 
Non Tanain prope flumen orti. 

Nosque et profestis lucibus et sacris. 25 

Inter jocosi munera Liberi, 

Cum prole matronisque nostris, 
Rite deos prius apprecati, 

Virtute functos, more patrum, duces, 
Lydis remixto carmine tibiis, 30 

Trojamque et Anchisen et almae 
Progeniem Veneris canemus. 



13 



Q. HORATH FLACCI 

E P O D O N 

LIBER. 

Carmen I. 
AD MAECENATEM. 

Ibis Liburnis inter alta navium, 

Amice, propngnacula, 
Paratus omne Caesari periculum 

Subirc, Maecenas, tuo ? 
Quid nos, quibus te vita si superstite 5 

Jucunda, si contra, gravis ? 
Utrumne jussi persequemur otium, 

Non dulce, ni tecum simul 1 
An hunc laborem mente laturi, decet 

Q,ua ferre non molles viros ? 10 

Feremus ; et te vel per Alpium juga, 

Inhospitalem et Caucasum, 
Vel occidentis usque ad ultimum sinum 

Forti sequemur pectore. 
Roges, tuum labore quid juvem meo 15 

Imbellis ac firmus parum % 
Comes minore sum futurus in metu, 

Q,ui major absentes habet : 
Ut assidens implumibus pullis avis 

Serpentium allapsus timet 20 



EPODON LIBER. I. 113 

Magis relictis ; non. ut adsit, auxili 

Latura plus praesentibus. 
Libenter hoc et omne militabitur 

Bellum in tuae spem gratiae ; 
Non ut juvencis illigata pluribus 25 

Aratra nitantur mea : 
Pecusve Calabris ante sidus fervidum 

Lucana mutet pascuis : 
Nee ut superni villa candens Tusculi 

Circaea tangat moenia. 30 

Satis superque me benignitas tua 

Ditavit : haud paravero, 
Gluod aut, avarus ut Chremes, terra premam, 

Discinctus aut perdam ut nepos. 



Carmen II. 

" Beatus ille, qui procul negotiis, 

Ut prisca gens mortalium, 
Paterna rura bubus exercet suis, 

Solutus omni fenore. 
Neque excitatur classico miles truci, 5 

Neque horret iratum mare ; 
Forumque vitat et superba civium 

Potentiorum limina. 
Ergo aut adulta vitium propagine 

Altas maritat populos, 1 

Inutilesque falce ramos amputans 

Feliciores inserit ; 
Aut in reducta valle mugientium 

Prospectat errantes greges ; 
Aut pressa puris mella condit amphoris ; 15 

Aut tondet infirmas oves ; 
Vel, quum decorum mitibus pomis caput 

Auctumnus agris extulit, 



114 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

CJt gaudet insitiva decerpens pira, 

Certantem et uvam purpurae, 20 

dins muneretur te, Priape, et te, pater 

Silvane, tutor flnium. 
Libet jacere, modo sub antiqua ilice, 

Modo in tenaci gramme. 
Labuntur altis interim ripis aquae ; 25 

dueruntur in silvis aves ; 
Frondesque lymphis obstrepunt manantibus ; 

Somnos quod invitet leves. 
At quum Tonantis annus hibernus Jovis 

Imbres nivesque comparat, 30 

Aut trudit acres hinc et hinc multa cane 

Apros in obstantes plagas ; 
Aut amite levi rara tendit retia, 

Turdis edacibus dolos ; 
Pavidumque leporem, et advenam laqueo gruem, 35 

Jucunda captat praemia. 
Q,uis non malarum, quas amor curas habet, 

Haec inter obliviscitur ? 
Gluod si pudica mulier in partem juvet 

Domum atque dulces liberos, 40 

Sabina qualis, aut perusta solibus 

Pernicis uxor Appuli, 
Sacrum et vetustis extruat Hgnis focum, 

Lassi sub adventum viri ; 
Claudensque textis cratibus laetum pecus, 45 

Distenta siccet ubera ; 
Et horna dulci vina promens dolio, 

Dapes inemtas apparet : 
Non me Lucrina juverint conchylia, 

Magisve rhombus, aut scan, 50 

Si quos Eois intonata fluctibus 

Hiems ad hoc vertat mare ; 
Non Afra avis descendat in ventrem meum, 

Non attagen Ionicus 



EPOPON LIBER. III. 115 

Jucundior, quam lecta de pinguissimis 55 

Oliva ramis arborum, 
Aut herba lapathi prata amantis, et gravi 

Malvae salubres corpori, 
Vel agna festis caesa Terminalibus, 

Vel haedus ereptus lupo. 60 

Has inter epulas, ut juvat pastas oves 

Videre properantes domum ! 
Videre fcssos vomerem inversum boves 

Collo trahentes languido ! 
Positosque vemas, ditis examen domus, 65 

Circum renidentes Lares !" 
Haec ubi locutus fenerator Alphius, 

Jam jam futurus rusticus, 
Omnem redegit Idibus pecuniam — 

Q,uaerit Kalendis ponere ! 70 



Carmen III. 
AD MAECENATEM. 

Parentis olim si quis impia. manu 

Senile guttur fregerit, 
Edit cicutis allium nocentius. 

O dura messorum ilia ! 
Quid hoc veneni saevit in praecordiis 1 5 

Num viperinus his cruor 
Incoctus herbis me fefellit 1 an malas 

Canidia tractavit dapes ? 
Ut Argonautas praeter omnes candidum 

Medea mirata est ducem, 10 

Ignota tauris illigaturum juga, 

Perunxit hoc Iasonem : 
Hoc delibutis ulta donis pellicem, 

Serpente fugit alite. 

13* 



1 IC Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Nec tantus unquam siderum iiisedit vapor 15 

Siticulosae Apuliac : 
Nec munus humeris efficacis Hercuils 

Inarsit aestuosius. 
At, si quid unquam tale concupiveris, 

Jocose Maecenas, precor 20 

Manum puella savio opponat tuo, 

Extrema et in sponda cubet. 

Carmen IV. 

Lupis et agnis quanta sortito obtigit, 

Tecum mihi discordia est, 
Ibericis peruste funibus latus, 

Et crura dura compede. 
Licet superbus ambules pecunia, 5 

Fortuna non mutat genus. 
Videsne, Sacram metiente te viam 

Cum bis trium ulnarum toga, 
Ut ora vertat hue et hue euntium 

Libenima indignatio ? 10 

" Sectus flagellis hie Triumviralibus, 

Praeconis ad fastidium, 
Arat Falerni mille fundi jugera 

Et Appiam mannis terit ; 
Sedilibusque magnus in primis eques, 15 

Othone contemto, sedet. 
Q,uid attinet tot ora navium gravi 

Rostrata duci pondere 
Contra latrones atque servilem manum, 

Hoc, hoc tribuno militum ?" 20 



EPODON LIBER. V„ 1 17 



Carmen V. 



IN CANIDIAM VENEFICAM. 

" At, o deorum quicquid in coelo regit 

Terras et lramanum genus ! 
Quid iste fert tumultus ? aut quid omnium 

Vultus in unum me truces ? 
Per liberos te, si vocata partubus 5 

Lucina veris adfuit, 
Per hoc inane purpurae decus precor, 

Per improbaturum haec Jovem, 
Quid ut noverca me intueris, aut uti 

Petita ferro bellua ?"— 10 

Ut haec tremente questus ore constitit 

Insignibus raptis puer, 
Impube corpus, quale posset impia 

Mollire Thracum pectora ; 
Canidia brevibus implicata viperis 15 

Crines et incomtum caput, 
Jubet sepulcris caprificos erutas, 

Jubet cupressus funebres, 
Et uncta turpis ova ranae sanguine, 

Plumamque nocturnae strigis, 20 

Herbasque, quas Iolcos atque Iberia 

Mittit venenorum ferax, 
Et ossa ab ore rapta jejunae canis, 

Flammis aduri Colchicis. 
At expedita Sagana, per totam dornum 25 

Spargens Avernales aqtias, 
Horret capillis ut marinus asperis 

Echinus, aut Laurens aper. 
Abacta nulla Veia conscientia 

Ligonibus duris humum %® 



1 19 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Exnauriebat, ingemens laboribus ; 

Gluo posset infossus puer 
Longo die bis terque mutatae dapis 

Inemori spectaculo ; 
Q,uum promineret ore, quantum exstant aqua 35 

Suspensa mento corpora : 
Exsucca uti medulla et aridum jecur 

Amoris esset poculum, 
Interminato quum semel fixae cibo 

Intabuissent pupulae. 40 

Non defuisse masculae libidinis 

Ariminensem Foliam, 
Et otiosa credidit Neapolis, 

Et omne vicinum oppidum ; 
Quae sidera excantata voce Thessala 45 

Lunamque coelo deripit. 
Hie irresectum saeva dente livido 

Canidia rodens pollicem 
Quid dixit 1 aut quid tacuit ? " O rebus meis 

Non infideles arbitrae, 50 

Nox, et Diana, quae silentium regis, 

Arcana quum fiunt sacra, 
Nunc nunc adeste : nunc in hostiles domos 

Iram atque numen vertite. 
Formidolosae dum latent silvis ferae, 55 

Dulci sopore languidae, 
Senem, quod omnes rideant, adulterum 

Latrent Suburanae canes, 
Nardo perunctum, quale non perfectius 

Meae laborarint manus. — 60 

Gluid accidit 1 cur dira barbarae minus 

Venena Medeae valent, 
duibus superbam fugit ulta pellicem, 

Magni Creontis filiam, 
Q,uum palla, tabo munus imbutum, novam 65 

Incendio nuptam abstulit ? 



EPODON LIBER. V. 119 

Atqui nee herba, nee latens in asperis 

Radix fefellit me loeis. 
Indormit unctis omnium cubilibus 

Oblivione pellicum. — 70 

Ah ! ah ! solutus ambulat veneficae 

Scientioris carmine. 
Non usitatis, Vare, potionibus, 

O multa fleturum caput ! 
Ad me recurres : nee vocata mens tua 75 

Marsis redibit vocibus. 
Majus parabo, majus infundam tibi 

Fastidienti poculum. 
Priusque coelum sidet inferius mari, 

Tellure porrecta super, 80 

Q,uam non amore sic meo fiagres, uti 

Bitumen atris ignibus." — 
Sub haec puer, jam non, ut ante, mollibus 

Lenire verbis impias ; 
Sed dubius, unds rumperet silentium, 85 

Misit Thyesteas preces : 
" Venena magica fas nefasque, non valent 

Convertere humanam vicem. 
Diris agam vos : dira detestatio 

Nulla expiatur victima. 90 

Q,uin, ubi perire jussus expiravero, 

Nocturnus occurram Furor, 
Petamque vultus umbra curvis unguibus, 

Quae vis deorum est Manium ; 
Et inquietis assidens praecordiis 95 

Pavore somnos auferam. 
Vos turba vicatim hinc et hinc saxis petens 

Contundet obscenas anus. 
Post insepulta membra different lupi 

Et Esquilinae alites. 100 

Neque hoc parentes, heu mini superstites I 

Effugerit spectaculum. 



120 Q. HORATII FLACCI 



Carmen VI. 



Quid immerentes hospites vexas, cards, 

Ignavus adversum lupos 1 
Q,uin hue inanes, si potes, vertis minas, 

Et me remorsurum petis 1 
Nam, qualis aut Molossus, aut fulvus Lacon . r > 

Arnica vis pastoribus, 
Agam per altas aure sublata nives, 

Q.uaecunque praecedet fera. 
Tu, quum timenda voce complesti nemus, 

Projectum odoraris cibum. 10 

Cave, cave : namque in malos asperrimus 

Parata tollo cornua ; 
Glualis Lycambae spretus infido gener, 

Aut acer hostis Bupalo. 
An, si quis atro dente me petiverit, 15 

Inultus ut flebo puer ? 

Carmen VII. 
AD POPULUM ROMANUM. 

Quo, quo scelesti ruitis ? aut cur dexteris 

Aptantur enses conditi ? 
Parumne campis atque Neptuno super 

Fusum est Latini sanguinis 1 
Non ut superbas invidae Carthaginis 5 

Romanus arces ureret : 
Intactus aut Britannus ut descenderet 

Sacra catenatus via : 
Sed ut, secundum vota Parthorum, sua 

Urbs haec periret dextera. 10 

Neque hie lupis mos, nee fuit leonibus, 

Nunquam, nisi in dispar, feris. 



EPODON LIBER. VIII. 121 

Furome caecus, an rapit vis acrior 1 

An culpa 1 responsum date. — 
Tacent ; et ora pallor albus inficit, 15 

Mentesque perculsae stupent. 
Sic est ; acerba fata Romanos agunt, 

Scelusque fraternae necis, 
Ut immerentis fluxit in terram Remi 

Sacer nepotibus cruor. 20 

Carmen VIII. 
IN ANUM LIBIDINOSAM. 

Rogare longo putidam te saeculo, 

Vires quid enervet meas 1 
Q,uum sit tibi dens ater, et rugis vetus 

Frontem senectus exaret ; 
Hietque turpis inter aridas nates 5 

Podex, velut crudae bovis. 
Sed incitat me pectus, et mammae putres, 

Equina quales ubera ; 
Venterque mollis, et femur tumentibus 

Exile suris additum. 10 

Esto beata, funus atque imagines 

Ducant triumphales tuum ; 
Nee sit marita, quae rotundioribus 

Onusta baccis ambulet. 
Quid 1 quod libelli Stoici inter sericos 15 

Jacere pulvillos amant : 
Illiterati num minus nervi rigent ? 

Minusve languet fascinum % 
Q,uod ut superbo provoces ab inguine, 

Ore allaborandum est tibi. 20 



122 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

t Carmen IX. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Gtuando repostum Caecubum ad festas dapes, 

"Victore laetus Caesare, 
Tecum sub alta, sic Jovi gratum, domo, 

Beate Maecenas, bibam, 
Sonante mixtum tibiis carmen lyra, 5 

Hac Dorium, illis barbarum ? 
Ut nuper, actus quum freto Neptunius 

Dux fugit, ustis navibus, 
Minatus Urbi vincla, quae detraxerat 

Servis amicus perfidis. 10 

Romanus, eheu ! posteri negabitis, 

Emancipatus feminae, 
Fert vallum et arma miles, et spadonibus 

Servire rugosis potest ! 
Interque signa turpe militaria 15 

Sol adspicit conopium ! 
Ad hoc frementes verterunt bis mille equos 

Galli, canentes Caesarem ; 
Hostiliumque navium portu latent 

Puppes sinistrorsum citae. 20 

lo Triumphe ! tu moraris aureos 

Currus, et intactas boves ; 
lo Triumphe ! nee Jugurthino parem 

Bello reportasti ducem, 
Neque Africanum, cui super Carthaginein 25 

Virtus sepulcrum condidit. 
Terra marique victus hostis, Punico 

Lugubre mutavit sagum ; 
Aut ille centum nobilem Cretam urbibus, 

Ventis iturus non suis ; 30 



EP0D0N LIBER. X. 123 

Exercitatas aut petit Syrtes Noto ; 

Aut fertur incerto mari. 
Capaciores affer hue, puer, scyphos, 

Et Chia vina, aut Lesbia, 
Vel, quod fluentem naiiseam coerceat, 35 

Metire nobis Caecubum. 
Curam metumque Caesaris rerum juvat 

Dulci Lyaeo solvere. 



Carmen X. 

IN MAEVIUM POETAM. 

Mala soluta navis exit alite, 

Ferens olentem Maevium. 
Ut horridis utrumque verberes latus, 

Auster, memento fluctibus. 
Niger rudentes Eurus, inverso mari, 5 

Fractosque remos differat ; 
Insurgat Aquilo, quantus altis montibus 

Frangit trementes ilices ; 
Nee sidus atra nocte amicum appareat, 

Qua tristis Orion cadit ; 10 

Gluietiore nee feratur aequore, 

Gluam Graia victorum manus, 
Q,uum Pallas usto vertit iram ab Ilio 

In impiam Ajacis ratem. 
O quantus instat navitis sudor tuis, 15 

Tibique pallor luteus, 
Et ilia non virilis ejulatio, 

Preces et aversum ad Jovem, 
Ionius udo quum remugiens sinus 

Noto carinam ruperit ! 20 

H 



124 Q,. H0RATII FLACCI 

Opima quod si praeda curvo litore 
Projecta mergos juveris, 

Libidinosus immolabitur caper 
Et agna Tempestatibus. 



Carmen XI. 



AD PECTIUM. 

Pecti, nihil me, sicut antea, juvat 

Scribere versiculos amore percussum gravi : 
Amore, qui me praeter omnes expetit 

Mollibus in pueris aut in puellis urere. 
ELic tertius December, ex quo destiti 5 

Inachia furere, silvis honorem decutit. 
Heu ! me, per urbem, nam pudet tanti mali, 

Fabula quanta fui ! conviviorum et poenitet, 
In queis amantem et languor et silentium 

Arguit, et latere petitus imo spiritus. 10 

Contrane lucrum nil valere candidum 

Pauperis ingenium ! querebar applorans tibi ; 
Simul calentis inverecundus deus 

Fervidiore mero arcana promorat loco. 
Quod si meis inaestuat praecordiis 15 

Libera bilis, ut haec ingrata ventis dividat 
Fomenta, vulnus nil malum levantia j 

Desinet imparibus certare summotus pudor. 
Ubi haec severus te palam laudaveram, 

Jussus abire domum, ferebar incerto pede 20 

Ad non amicos heu ! mihi postes, et heu ! 

Lamina dura, quibus lumbos et infregi latus, 
Nunc, gloriantis quamlibet mulierculam 

Vincere mollitia, amor Lycisci me tenet : 



EPODON LIBER. XII. 125 

Unde expedire non amicorum queant 25 

Libera consilia, nee contumeliae graves ; 

Sed alius ardor aut puellae candidae, 
Aut teretis pueri, longam renodantis comam. 



Carmen XII. 
IN ANUM LIBIDINOSAM. 

Q,uid tibi vis, mulier nigris dignissima barris 1 

Munera cur mini, quidve tabellas 
Mittis, nee firmo juveni, neque naris obesae ? 

Namque sagacius unus odoror, 
Polypus, an gravis hirsutis cubet hircus in alis, 5 

Quam canis acer, ubi lateat sus. 
Q,ui sudor vietis et quam malus undique membris 

Crescit odor ! quum, pene soluto, 
Indomitam properat rabiem sedare ; neque illi 

Jam manet humida creta, colorque 10 

Stercore fucatus crocodili ; jamque subando 

Tenta cubilia tectaque rumpit. 
Vel mea quum saevis agitat fastidia verbis : 

" Inachia langues minus ac me : 
Inachiam ter nocte potes ; mihi semper ad unum 15 

Mollis opus : pereat male, quae te, 
Lesbia, quaerenti taurum, monstravit inertem ; 

Gluum mihi Cous adesset Amyntas, 
Cujus in indomito constantior inguine nervus, 

Quam nova collibus arbor inhaeret. 20 

Muricibus Tyriis iteratae vellera lanae 

Cui properabantur ? tibi nempe ; 
Ne foret aequales inter oonviva, magis quern 

Diligeret muber sua, quam te. 
O ego infelix, quam tu fugis, ut pavet acres 25 

Agna lupos, capreaeque leones." 



126 Q.. HORAT1I FLACCI 

Carmen XIII. 
AD AMI COS. 

Horrida tempestas coelum contraxit, et imbres 

Nivesque deducunt Jovem ; nunc mare, nunc siluae 
Thre'icio Aquilone sonant. Rapiamus, amici, 

Occasionem de die ; dumque virent genua, 
Et decet, obducta solvatur fronte senectus. 5 

Tu vina Torquato move Consule pressa meo. 
Caetera mitte loqui : deus haec fortasse benigna 

Reducet in sedem vice. Nunc et Achaemenio 
Perfundi nardo juvat, et fide Cyllenea 

Levare diris pectora sollicitudinibus. 10 

Nobilis ut grandi cecinit Centaurus alumno : 

Invicte, mortalis dea nate, puer, Thetide, 
Te manet Assaraci tellus, quam frigida parvi 

Findunt Scamandri flumina, lubricus et Simois ; 
Unde tibi reditum curto subtemine Parcae 15 

Rupere ; nee mater domum caerula te revehet. 
Illic omne malum vino cantuque levato, 

Deformis aegrimoniae dulcibus alloquiis. 

Carmen XIV. 
AD MAECENATEM. 

Mollis inertia cur tantam diffuderit iniis 

Oblivioneni sensibus, 
Pocula Lethaeos ut si ducentia somnos 

Arente fauce traxerim, 
Candide Maecenas, occidis saepe rogando : 5 

Deus, deus nam me vetat 
Inceptos, olim promissum carmen, iambos 

Ad umbilicum adducere. 



EPODON LIBER. XV. 127 

Non aliter Samio dicunt arsisse Bathyll 

Anacreonta Teium ; 10 

Glui persaepe cava testudine fievit amorem, 

Non elaboratum ad pedem. 
Ureris ipse miser ! quod si non pulchrior ignis 

Accendit obsessam Ilion, 
Gaude sorte tua ; me libertina, neque uno 15 

Contenta, Phryne macerat. 



Carmen XV. 



AD NEAERAM. 

Nox erat, et coelo fulgebat Luna sereno 

Inter minora sidera, 
duum tu, magnorum numen laesura deorum, 

In verba jurabas mea, 
Arctius, atque hedera procera adstringitur ilex, 5 

Lentis adhaerens brachiis ; 
Dum pecori lupus, et nautis infestus Orion 

Turbaret hibernum mare, 
Intonsosque agitaret Apollinis aura capillos, 

Fore hunc amorem mutuum. 1 

dolitura mea multum virtute Neaera, 

Nam, si quid in Flacco viri est, 
Non feret assiduas potiori te dare noctes, 

Et quaeret iratus pa.rem, 
Nee semel offensae cedet constantia formae, 15 

Si certus intrarit dolor. 
At tu, quicunque es felicior, atque meo nunc 

Superbus incedis malo, 
Sis pecore et multa dives tellure licebit, 

Tibique Pactolus fluat, 20 

14* 



128 Q_. HORATII FLACCI 

Nec te Pj^thagorae fallant arcana renati, 

Formaque vincas Nirea ; 
Eheu ! translatos alio moerebis amores : 

Ast ego vicissim risero. 



Carmen XVI. 
AD POPULUM ROMANUM. 

Altera jam teritur bellis civilibus actas, 

Suis et ipsa Roma viribus ruit. 
Q.uam neque finitimi valuerunt perdere Marsi, 

IVIinacis aut Etrusca Porsenae manus, 
Aemula nec virtus Capuae, nec Spartacus acer, 5 

Novisque rebus infidelis Allobrox ; 
Nec fera caerulea domuit Germania pube, 

Parentibusque abominatus Hannibal : 
Impia perdemus devoti sanguinis aetas ; 

Ferisque rursus occupabitur solum. 10 

Barbarus, heu ! cineres insistet victor, et Urbem 

Eques sonante verberabit ungula ; 
Gluaeque carent ventis et solibus, ossa duirini, 

Nefas videre ! dissipabit insolens. 
Forte, quid expediat, communiter, aut melior pars 1 5 

Malis carere quaeritis laboribus. 
Nulla sit hac potior sententia ; Phocaeorum 

Velut profugit exsecrata civitas : 
Agros atque Lares proprios, habitandaque fana 

Apris reliquit et rapacibus lupis : 20 

Ire, pedes quocunque ferent, quocunque per undas 

Notus vocabit, aut protervus Africus. 
Sic placet ? an melius quis habet suadere % secunda 

Ratem occupare quid moramur alite ? 
Sed juremus in haec : Simul imis saxa renarint 25 

Vadis levata, ne redire sit nefas ; 



EPODON LIBER. XVI. 129 

Neu conversa domum pigeat dare lintea, quando 

Padus Matina laverit cacumina ; 
In mare sou celsus proruperit Apemiinus ; 

Novaque monstra junxerit libidine 30 

Mirus amor, juvet ut tigres subsidere cervis, 

Adulteretur et columba miluo ; 
Credula nee flavos timeant armenta leones 5 

Ametque salsa laevis hircus aequora. 
Haec, et quae poterunt reditus abscindere dulces, 35 

Eamus omnis exsecrata civitas, 
Aut pars indocili melior grege ; mollis et exspes 

Inominata perprimat cubilia. 
Vos, quibus est virtus, muliebrem tollite luctum, 

Etrusca praeter et volate litora. 40 

Nos manet Oceanus circumvagus : arva, beata 

Petamus arva, divites et insulas ; 
Reddit ubi Cererem tellus inarata quotannis, 

Et imputata floret usque vinea ; 
Germinat et nunquam fallentis termes olivae, 45 

Suamque pulla ficus ornat arborem ; 
Mella cava manant ex ilice, montibus altis 

Levis crepante lympha desilit pede. 
Illic injussae veniunt ad mulctra capellae, 

Refertque tenta grex amicus ubera : 50 

Nee vespertinus circumgemit ursus ovili ; 

Nee intumescit abna viperis humus. 
Nulla nocent pecori contagia, nullius astri 

Gregem aestuosa torret impotentia. 
Pluraque felices mirabimur ; ut neque largis 55 

Aquosus Eurus arva radat imbribus, 
Pinguia nee siccis urantur semina glebis ; 

Utrumque rege temperante Coelitum. 
Non hue Argoo contendit remige pinus, 

Neque impudica Colchis intulit pedem ; 60 

Non hue Sidonii torserunt cornua nautae, 

Laboriosa nee cohors Ulixei. 



130 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Jupiter ilia piae secrevit litora genti, 

Ut inquinavit aere tempus aureum : 
Aerea dehinc ferro duravit saecula ; quorum 65 

Piis secunda vate me datur fuga. 



Carmen XVII. 
IN CANIDIAM. 

Horatius. 

Jam jam efficaci do manus scientiae 

Supplex, et oro regna per Proserpinae 

Per et Dianae non movenda numina, 

Per atque libros carminum valentium 

Defixa coelo devocare sidera, 5 

Canidia, parce vocibus tandem sacris, 

Cit unique retro solve, solve turbinem. 

Movit nepotem Telephus Nereium, 

In quern superbus ordinarat agmina 

Mysorum, et in quern tela acuta torserat. 1 

Unxere matres Iliae addictum feris 

Alitibus atque canibus homicidam Hectorem, 

Postquam relictis moenibus rex procidit 

Heu ! pervicacis ad pedes Achillei'. 

Setosa duris exuere pellibus 15 

Laboriosi remiges Ulixei, 

Volente Circa, membra ; tunc mens et sonus 

Relapsus, atque notus in vultus honor. 

Dedi satis superque poenarum tibi, 

Amata nautis multum et institoribus. 20 

Fugit juventas, et verecundus color 

Reliquit ossa pelle amicta lurida ; 

Tuis capillus albus est odoribus, 

Nullum a labore me reclinat otium. 



EPODON LIBER. XVII. 131 

Urguet diem nox, et dies noctem, neque est 25 

Levare tenta spiritu praecordia. 

Ergo negatum vincor ut credam miser, 

Sabella pectus increpare carmina, 

Caputque Marsa dissilire naenia. 

Quid amplius vis ? O mare I O terra ! ardeo, 30 

Quantum neque atro delibutus Hercules 

Nessi cruore, nee Sicana fervida 

Furens in Aetna flamma. Tu, donee cinis 

Injuriosis aridus ventis ferar, 

Cales venenis officina Colchicis. 35 

Quae finis ? aut quod me manet stipendium 1 

EfFare : jussas cum fide poenas luam ] 

Paratus f expiare seu poposceris 

Centum juvencis, sive mendaci lyra 

Voles sonare Tu pudica, tu proba ; 40 

Perambulabis astra sidus aureum. 

Infamis Helenae Castor offensus vice, 

Fraterque magni Castoris, victi prece, 

Ademta vati reddidere lumina. 

Et tu, potes nam, solve me dementia, 45 

O nee paternis obsoleta sordibus, 

Nee in sepulcris pauperum prudens anus 

Novendiales dissipare pulveres. 

Tibi hospitale pectus, et purae manus : 

Tuusque venter Pactumeius ; et tuo 50 

Cruore rubros obstetrix pannos lavit, 

Utcunque fortis exsilis puerpera. 

Canidia. 

Quid obseratis auribus fundis preces ? 
Non saxa nudis surdiora navitis 
Neptunus alto tundit hibemus salo. 55 

Inultus ut tu riseris Cotyttia 
Vulgata, sacrum liberi Cupidinis 1 
Et Esquilini Pontifex venefici 



132 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Impune ut Urbem nomine impleris meo ? 
GLuid proderat ditasse Pebgnas anus 
Velociusve miscuisse toxicum 1 
Sed tardiora fata te votis manent : 
Ingrata misero vita ducenda est, in hoc, 
Novis ut usque suppetas laborious. 
Optat quietem Pelopis infidi pater, 
Egens benignae Tantalus semper dapis ; 
Optat Prometheus obligatus aliti ; 
Optat supremo collocare Sisyphus 
In monte saxum ; sed vetant leges Jovis. 
Voles modo altis desilire turribus, 
Modo ense pectus Norico recludere ; 
Frustraque vincla gutturi nectes tuo, 
Fastidiosa tristis aegrimonia. 
Vectabor humeris tunc ego inimicis eques, 
Meaeque teiTa cedet insolentiae. 
An, quae movere cereas imagines, 
Ut ipse nosti curiosus, et polo 
Deripere Lunam vocibus possim meis, 
Possim crematos excitare mortuos, 
Desiderique temperare poculum, 
Plorem artis, in te nil agentis, exitum ? 



CJ. HORATU FLACCI 

CARMEN SAECULARE 

PRO INCOLUMITATE IMPERII. 



Phoebe, silvarumque potens Diana, 
Lucidum coeli decus, o colendi 
Semper et culti, date, quae precamur 
Tempore sacro : 

duo Sibyllini monuere versus 5 

Virgines lectas puerosque castos 
Dis, quibus septem placuere colles, 
Dicere carmen. 

Alme Sol, curru nitido diem qui 
Promis et celas, aliusque et idem 10 

Nasceris, passis nihil urbe Roma 
Visere majus. 

Rite maturos aperire partus 
Lenis Ilithyia, tuere matres : 

Sive tu Lucina probas vocari, IS 

Seu Genitalis. 

Diva, producas subolem, Patrumque 
Prosperes decreta super jugandis 
Feminis, prolisque novae feraci 

Lege marita : 20 



134 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Certus undenos decies per annos 
Orbis ut cantus referatque ludos, 
Ter die claro, totiesque grata 
Nocte frequentes. 

Vosque veraces cecinisse, Parcae, 25 

Quod semel dictum est, stabilisque rerum 
Terminus servat, bona jam peractis 
Jungite fata. 

Fertilis frugum pecorisque Tellus 
Spicea donet Cererem corona : 30 

Nutriant fetus et aquae salubres, 
Et Jovis aurae. 

Condito mitis placidusque telo 
Supplices audi pueros, Apollo : 
Siderum regina bicornis, audi, 35 

Luna, puellas. 

Roma si vestrum est opus, Iliaeque 
Litus Etruscum tenuere turmae, 
Jussa pars mutare Lares et urbem 

Sospite cursu : 40 

Cui per ardentem sine fraude Trojam 
Castus Aeneas patriae superstes 
Liberum munivit iter, daturus 
Plura relictis : 

Di, probos mores docili juventae, 45 

Di, senectuti placidae quietem, 
Romulae genti date remque prolemque 
Et decus omne. 

Q,uique vos bubus veneratur albis, 
Clarus Anchisae Venerisque sanguis, 50 

Imperet, bellante prior, jacentem 
Lenis in hostem. 



CARMEN SAECULARE. 135 

Jam man terraque manus potentes 
Meclus Albanasque timet secures : 
Jam Scythae responsa petunt, superbi 55 

Nuper, et Indi. 

Jam Fides, et Pax, et Honor, Pudorque 
Priscus, et neglecta redire Virtus 
Audet : apparetque beata pleno 

Copia cornu. 60 

Augur, et fulgente decorus arcu 
Phoebus, acceptusque novem Camenis 
Qui salutari levat arte fessos 
Corporis artus. 

Si Palatinas videt aequus arces, 65 

Remque Romanam Latiumque, felix, 
Alterum in lustrum, meliusque semper 
Proroget aevum. 

Gluaeque Aventinum tenet Algidumque, 
Q-uindecim Diana preces virorum 70 

Curet, et votis puerorum arnicas 
Applicet aures. 

Haec Jovem sentire, deosque cunctos, 
Spem bonam certamque domum reporto, 
Doctus et Phoebi chorus et Dianae 75 

Dicere laudes. 



15 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

SERMOUES. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

SERMONUM 

LIBER PRIMUS. 



Satira I. 

IN AVAROS. 

Q,ui fit, Maecenas, ut nemo, quam sibi sortem 
Seu ratio dederit, seu fors objecerit, ilia 
Contentus vivat, laudet diversa sequentes 1 
Ofortunati mercatores ! gravis annis 
Miles ait, multo jam fractus membra labore. 5 

Contra mercator, navim jactantibus austris, 
Militia est potior ! Q,uid enim 1 concurritur : horae 
Momento aut cita mors venit aut victoria laeta. 
Agricolam laudat juris legumque peritus, 
Sub galli cantum consultor ubi ostia pulsat. 10 

Ille, datis vadibus qui rure extractus in urbem est, 
Solos felices viventes clamat in urbe. 
Cetera de genere hoc, adeo sunt multa, loquacem 
Delassare valent Fabium. Ne te morer, audi 
Q,uo rem deducam. Si quis deus, En ego, dicat, 15 

Jam faciam quod vultis : eris tu, qui modo miles, 
Mercator : tu, consultus modo, rusticus : hinc vos, 
Vos hinc mutatis discedite partibus. Eia, 
Quid statis ? — nolint. Atqui licet esse beatis. 
Quid causae est, merito quin illis Jupiter ambas 20 

15* 



140 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Iratus buccas inflet, neque se fore posthac 
Tarn facilem dicat, votis ut praebeat aurem? 

Praeterea, ne sic, ut qui jocularia, ridens 
Percurram : quamquam ridentem dicere verum 
Quid vetat 1 ut pueris olim dant crustula blandi 25 

Doctores, elementa velint ut discere prima : 
Sed tamen amoto quaeramus seria ludo. 
Ille gravem duro terram qui vertit aratro, 
Perfidus liic cautor, miles, nautaeque, per omne 
Audaces mare qui currunt, hac mente laborem 30 

Sese ferre, senes ut in otia tuta recedant, 
Aiunt, quum sibi sint congesta cibaria ; sicut 
Parvula (nam exemplo est) magni formica laboris 
Ore trahit quodcunque potest, atque addit acervo, 
Q,uem strait, haud ignara ac non incauta futuri. 35 

Gluae, simul inversum contristat Aquarius annum. 
Non usquam prorepit, et illis utitur ante 
Gtuaesitis sapiens : quum te neque fervidus aestus 
Demoveat lucro, neque hiems, ignis, mare, ferrum ; 
Nil obstet tibi, dum ne sit te ditior alter. 40 

Quid juvat immensum te argenti pondus et auri 
Furtim defossa timidum deponere terra 1 — 
Quod, si comminuas, vilem redigatur ad assem. — 
At, ni id fit, quid habet pulchri constructus acervus 1 
Millia frumenti tua triverit area centum ; 45 

Non tuus hoc capiet venter plus ac meus : ut, si 
Reticulum panis venales inter onusto 
Forte vehas humero, niliilo plus accipias, quam 
Q,ui nil portarit. Vel die, quid referat intra 
Naturae fines viventi, jugera centum an 50 

Mille aret 1 — Jit suave est ex magno tollere acervo. — 
Dum ex parvo nobis tantundem haurire relinquas, 
Cur tua plus laudes cumeris granaria nostris ? 
Ut tibi si sit opus liquidi non amplius urna 
Vel cyatho, et dicas : JVEagno de Jlumine malim, 55 

Quam ex hoc fonticido tantundem sumere. Eo fit. 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 1. J41 

Plenior ut si quos delectet copia justo, 

Cum ripa simul avulsos ferat Aufldus acer : 

At qui tantuli eget, quanto est opus, is neque limo 

Turbatam haurit aquam, neque vitam amittit in undis. 60 

At bona pars hominum, decepta cupidine falso, 
Nil satis est, inquit ; quia tanti, quantum habeas, sis. 
Quid facias illi 1 Jubeas miserum esse, libenter 
Quatenus id facit. Ut quidam memoratur Athenis 
Sordidus ac dives populi contemnere voces 65 

Sic solitus : Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo 
Ipse domi, simul ac nummos contemplor in area. — 
Tantalus a labris sitiens fugientia captat 
Flumina : Q,uid rides ? mutato nomine de te 
Fabula narratur : congestis undique saccis . 70 

Indormis inhians, et tanquam parcere sacris 
Cogens, aut pictis tanquam gaudere tabellis. 
Nescis quo valeat nummus % quern praebeat usum ? 
Panis ematur, olus, vini sextarius : adde, 
Q,ueis humana sibi doleat natura negatis. 75 

An vigilare metu exanimem, noctesque diesque 
Formidare malos fures, incendia, servos, 
Nee te compilent fugientes, hoc juvat ? Horum 
Semper ego optarim pauperrimus esse bonorum. — 

At si condoiuit tentatum frigore corpus, 80 

Aut alius casus lecto te affixit, habes qui 
Assideat, /omenta paret, medicum roget, ut te 
Suscitet, ac natis reddat carisque propinquis. — 
Non uxor salvum te vult, non filius : omnes 
Vicini oderunt, noti, pueri atque puellae. 85 

Miraris, quum tu argento post omnia ponas, 
Si nemo praestet, quern non merearis, amorem 1 
An sic cognatos, nullo natura labore 
duos tibi dat, retincre velis, servareque amicos ? 
Infelix operam perdas, ut si quis asellum 90 

In campo doceat parentem currere frenis ! 

Denique sit finis quaerendi ; quoque habeas plus, 



142 Q. HORATII PLACCI 

Pauperiem metuas minus, et finire laborem 

Incipias, parto quod avebas. Ne facias, quod 

Ummidius, qui, tarn (non longa est fabula) dives, 95 

Ut metiretur nummos ; ita sordidus, ut se 

Non unquam servo melius vestiret ; ad usque 

Supremum tempus, ne se penuria victus 

Opprimeret, metuebat. At hunc liberta securi 

Divisit medium, fortissima Tyndaridarum. 100 

Quid mi igitur suades ? ut vivam Maenius aut sic 
Ut JYomentanus ? Pergis pugnantia secum. 
Frontibus adversis componere ? Non ego, avarum 
Q,uum veto te fieri, vappam jubeo ac nebulonern. 
Est inter Tanain quiddam socerumque Viselli : 105 

Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines, 
duos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum. 

Illuc, unde abii, redeo. Nemon' ut avarus 
Se probet, ac potius laudet diversa sequentes 1 
Q,uodque aliena capella gerat distentius uber, 110 

Tabescat 1 neque se majori pauperiorum 
Turbae comparet % hunc atque hunc superare laboret 1 
Sic festinanti semper locupletior obstat : 
Ut, quum carceribus missos rapit ungula currus, 
Instat equis auriga suos vincentibus, ilium 115 

Praeteritum temnens extremos inter euntem. 
Inde fit, ut raro, qui se vixisse beatum 
Dicat, et exacto contentus tempore, vita 
Cedat, uti con viva satur, reperire queamus. 

Jam satis est. Ne me Crispini scrinia lippi 120 

Compilasse putes, verbum non amplius addam. 



SERMOJfUM LIE. I. 2. 143 

Satira II. 

IN MOECHOS. 

Ambubaiarum collegia, pharmacopolae, 

Mendici, mimae, balatrones, hoc genus omne 

Moestum ac sollicitum est cantoris morte Tigelli. 

Quippe benignus erat. Contra hie, ne prodigus esse 

Dicatur metuens, inopi dare nolit amico, 5 

Frigus quo duramque famem propellere possit. 

Hunc si perconteris, avi cur atque parentis 

Praeclaram ingrata stringat malus ingluvie rem, 

Omnia conductis coemens opsonia nummis : 

Sordidus atque animi parvi quod nolit haberi, 10 

Respondet. Laudatur ab his, culpatur ab illis. 

Fufidius vappae famam timet ac nebulonis : 

Dives agris, dives positis in fenore nummis, 

Q,uinas hie capiti mercedes exsecat, atque 

Quanto perditior quisque est, tanto acrius urguet ; 15 

Nomina sectatur, modo sumta veste virili, 

Sub patribus duris, tironum. Maxime, quis non, 

Jupiter, exclamat, simul atque audivit 1 — At in se 

Pro quaestu sumtumfacit hie. — Vix credere possis, 

Gluam sibi non sit amicus : ita ut pater ille, Terenti 20 

Fabula quern miserum nato vixisse fugato 

Inducit, non se pejus cruciaverit atque hie. 

Si quis nunc quaerat, Q,uo res haec pertinet ? Blue : 
Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt. 
Malthinus tunicis demissis ambulat ; est qui 25 

Inguen ad obscoenum subductis usque facetus : 
Pastillos Rufillus olet, Gargonius hircum : 
Nil medium est. Sunt qui nolint tetigisse nisi illas, 
Quarum subsuta tabs tegat instita veste : 
Contra alius nullam. nisi olente in fornice stantem. 30 



144 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Gluidam notus homo quum exiret fomice, Made 

Virtute esto, inquit sententia dia Catonis : 

Nam simul ac venas inflavit tetra libido, 

Hue juvenes aequum est descendere, non alienas 

Permohre uxores. Nolim laudarier, inquit, 35 

Sic me, mirator cunni Cupiennius albi. 

Audire est operae pretium, procedere recte 
Q,ui moechos non vultis, ut omni parte laborent ; 
Utque illis multo corrupta dolore voluptas, 
Atque haec rara cadat dura inter saepe pericla. 40 

Hie se praeeipitem tecto dedit : ille flagellis 
Ad mortem caesus : fugiens hie decidit acrem 
Praedonum in turbam : dedit hie pro corpore nummos : 
Hunc perminxerunt calones ; quin etiam illud 
Accidit, ut cuidam testes caudamque salacem 45 

Demeterent ferro. Jure omnes : Galba negabat. 

Tutior at quanto merx est in classe secunda ! 
Libertinarum dico, Sallustius in quas 
Non minus insanit, quam qui moechatur. At hie si, 
Q,ua res, qua ratio suaderet, quaque modeste 50 

Munifico esse licet, vellet bonus atque benignus 
Esse ; daret quantum satis esset, nee sibi damno 
Dedecorique foret : verum hoc se amplectitur uno ; 
Hoc amat, hoc laudat : Matronam nullam ego tango. 
Ut quondam Marsaeus, amator Originis ille, 55 

Q,ui patrium mirnae donat fundumque laremque, 
Nil merit nri, inquit, cum uxoribus unquam alienis. 
Verum est cum mimis, est cum meretricibus, unde 
Fama malum gravius, quam res, trahit. An tibi abunde 
Personam satis est, non illud, quidquid ubique 60 

Officit, evitare ? Bonam deperdere famam, 
Rem patris oblimare, malum est ubicunque. Q,uid inter- 
Est, in matrona, ancilla peccesne togata ? 

Villius in Fausta Sullae gener, hoc miser uno 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 2. 145 

Nomine deceptus, poenas dedit usque superque 65 

Q,uam satis est ; pugnis caesus^ ferroque petitus ; 

Exclusus fore, quum Longarenus foret intus. 

Huic si mutonis verbis mala tanta videntis 

Diceret haec animus : Quid vis libi ? numquid ego a te 

JVLagno prognatum deposco Consule cunnum, 70 

Velatumque stola, mea quum conferbuit ira ? 

Quid responderet 1 Magno patre nata puella est. 

At quanto meliora monet, pugnantiaque istis, 

Dives opis natura suae, tu si modo recte 

Dispensare velis, ac non fugienda petendis 75 

Immiscere ! Tuo vitio rerumne labores, 

Nil referre putas 1 Quare, ne poeniteat te, 

Desine matronas sectarier, unde laboris 

Plus haurire mali est, quam ex re decerpere fructus. 

Nee magis huic, niveos inter viridesque lapillos 80 

Sit licet, hoc, Cerinthe, tuo tenerum est femur aut crus 

Rectius, atque etiam melius persaepe togatae est. 

Adde hue, quod mercem sine fucis gestat ; aperte, 

Quod venale habet, ostendit ; nee, si quid honesti est, 

Jactat habetque palam, quaerit quo turpia celet. 85 

Regibus hie mos est, ubi equos mercantur, opertos 
Inspiciunt ; ne, si facies, ut saepe, decora 
Molli fulta pede est, emtorem inducat hiantem, 
Gluod pulchrae clunes, breve quod caput, ardua cervix 
Hoc illi recte : ne corporis optima Lyncei 90 

Contemplere oculis, Hypsaea caecior ilia 
Quae mala sunt spectes. — O crus ! O brachia ! — Verum 
Depygis, nasuta, brevi latere ac pede longo est. 
Matronae praeter faciem nil cemere possis, 
Cetera, ni Catia est, demissa veste tegentis. 95 

Si interdicta petes, vallo circumdata, (nam te 
Hoc facit insanum), multae tibi turn officient res : 
Custodes, lectica, ciniflones, parasitae, 



146 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Ad talos stola demissa, et circumdata palla ; 

Plurima, quae invideant pure apparere tibi rem. 100 

Altera nil obstat : Cois tibi paene videre est 
Ut nudam ; ne crure malo, ne sit pede turpi ; 
Metiri possis oculo latus. An tibi mavis 
Insidias fieri, pretiumque avellier, ante 
duam mercem ostendi 1 Leporem venator ut alta 105 

In nive sectelur, positum sic tangere nolit, 
Cantat ; et appoint, JWeus est amor hide similis ; nam 
Transvolat in medio posita, etfugientia captat. 
Hiscine versiculis speras tibi posse dolores, 
Atque aestus, curasque graves e pectore tolli ? 110 

Nonne, cupidinibus statuat natura modum quern, 
Quid latura, sibi quid sit dolitura negatum, 
Q-uaerere plus prodest, et inane abscindere soldo ? 
Num, tibi quum fauces urit sitis, aurea quaeris 
Pocula ? num esuriens fastidis omnia praeter 115 

Pavonem rhombumque ? tument tibi quum inguina, num, si 
Ancilla aut verna est praesto puer, impetus in quem 
Continuo fiat, malis tentigine rumpi 1 
Non ego : namque parabilem amo Venerem facilemque. — 
Illam, Post paulo : Sed pluris : Si exieret vir : 120 

Gallis ; hanc Philodemus ait sibi, quae neque magn 
Stet pretio, neque cunctetur, quum est jussa venire. 
Candida rectaque sit ; munda hactenus, ut neque longa 
Nee magis alba velit, quam det natura, videri. 
Haec ubi supposuit dextro corpus mihi laevum, 125 

Ilia et Egeria est ; do nomen quodlibet illi, 
Nee vereor, ne, dum futuo, vir rure recurrat, 
Janua frangatur, latret eanis, undique magno 
Pulsa domus strepitu resonet, vae ! pallida lecto 
Desiliat mulier, miser am se conscia clamet ; 130 

Cruribus haec metuat, doti deprensa, egomet mi. 
Discincta tunica fugiendum est ac pede nudo, 
Ne nummi pereant, aut pyga, aut denique fama. 
Deprendi miserum est ; Fabio vel judice vincam. 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 3. 



147 



Satira III. 

IN OBTRECTATORES ET SUPERCILIUM 
STOICUM. 



Omnibus hoc vitium est cantoribus, inter amicos 
Ut nunquam inducant animum cantare rogati, 
Injussi nunquam desistant. Sardus habebat 
Die Tigellius hoc. Caesar, qui cogere posset, 
Si peteret per amicitiam patris atque suam, non 
Quidquam proficeret : si collibuisset, ab ovo 
Usque ad mala citaret Io Bacche ! modo summa 
Voce, modo hac, resonat quae chordis quatuor ima. 
Nil aequale homini fuit illi. Saepe velut qui 
Currebat fugiens hostem, persaepe velut qui 
Junonis sacra ferret : alebat saepe ducentos, 
Saepe decern servos : modo reges atque tetrarchas, 
Omnia magna, loquens : modo, Sit mihi mensa tripes et 
Concha salis puri et toga quae defender e frigus, 
Quamvis crassa, queat. Decies centena dedisses 
Huic parco, paucis contento, quinque diebus 
Nil erat in loculis. Noctes vigilabat ad ipsum 
Mane ; diem totum stertebat. Nil fuit unquam 
Sic impar sibi. 

Nunc aliquis dicat mihi, Quid tu ? 
Nullane kabes vitia ? Imo alia, et fortasse minora. 
Maenius absentem Novium quum carperet, Heus tu, 
Cluidam ait, ignoras te ? an ut ignotum dare nobis 
Verba putas ? Egomet mi ignosco, Maenius inquit. 
Stultus et improbus hie amor est dignusque notari. 
Q,uum tua pervideas oculis male lippus inunctis, 
Cur in amicorum vitiis tarn cemis acutum, 
Q,uam aut aquila aut serpens Epidaurius ? At tibi contra 
Evenit, inquirant vitia ut tua rursus et illi. 
18 



10 



15 



20 



25 



148 Q.. H0RATII FLACCI 

Iracundior est paulo ; minus aptus acutis 

Naribus horum hominum ; rideri possit, eo quod 30 

Rusticius tonso toga defluit, et male laxus 

In pede calceus haeret : at est bonus, ut mei'ior vir 

Non alius quisquam ; at tibi amicus ; at ingcnium ingens 

Inculto latet hoc sub corpore : denique te ipsum 

Concute, num qua tibi vitiorum inseverit olim 35 

Natura aut etiam consuetudo mala : namque 

Neglectis urenda filix innascitur agris. 

Illuc praevertamur : amatorem quod amicae 
Turpia decipiunt caecum vitia, aut etiam ipsa haec 
Delectant, veluti Balbinum polypus Hagnae. 40 

Vellem in amicitia sic erraremus, et isti 
EiTori nomen virtus posuisset honestum. 
At pater ut gnati, sic nos debemus amici, 
Si quod sit vitium, non fastidire : strabonem 
Appellat Paetum pater ; et Pullum, male parvus 45 

Si cui filius est, ut abortivus fuit olim 
Sisyphus : hunc Varum, distortis cruribus ; ilium 
Balbutit Scaurum, pravis fultum male tabs. 
Parcius hie vivit 1 frugi dicatur. Ineptus 
Et jactantior hie paulo est 1 concinnus amicis 50 

Postulat ut videatur. At est truculentior atque 
Plus aequo liber ? simplex fortisque habeatur. 
Caldior est 1 acres inter numeretur. Opinor, 
Haec res et jungit, junctos et servat amicos. 

At nos virtutes ipsas invertimus atque 55 

Sincerum cupimus vas incrustare. Probus quis 
Nobiscum vivit 1 multum est demissus homo 1 Illi 
Tardo cognomen pingui et damus. Hie fugit omnes 
Insidias, nullique malo latus obdit apertum 1 
(Q,uum genus hoc inter vitae versemur, ubi acris 60 

Invidia atque vigent ubi crimina :) pro bene sano 
Ac non incauto fictum astutumque vocamus. 
Simplicior quis, et est, qualem me saepe libenter 
Obtulerim tibi, Maecenas, ut forte legentem 



SERMONUN LIB. I. 3. 149 

Aut taciturn impellat quovis sermone molestus ? 65 

Communi sensu plane caret, inquimus. Eheu, 

Quam temere in nosmet legem sancimus iniquam ! 

Nam vitiis nemo sine nascitur : optimus ille est, 

Qui minimis urguetur. Amicus dulcis, ut aequum est, 

Quum mea compenset vitiis bona, pluribus hisce, 70 

Si modo plura mihi bona sunt, inclinet. Amari 

Si volet hac lege, in trutina ponetur eadem. 

Qui, ne tuberibus propriis ofFendat amicum, 

Postulat, ignoscet verrucis illius ; aequum est, 

Peccatis veniam poscentem reddere rursus. 75 

Denique, quatenus excidi penitus vitium irae, 
Cetera item nequeunt stultis haerentia : cur non 
Ponderibus modulisque suis ratio utitur 1 ac res 
Ut quaeque est, ita suppliciis delicta coercet ? 
Si quis eum servum, patinam qui tollere jussus 80 

Semesos pisces tepidumque ligurrierit jus, 
In cruce suffigat, Labeone insanior inter 
Sanas dicatur. Quanto hoc furiosius atque 
Majus peccatum est 1 Paulum deliquit amicus ; 
Quod nisi concedas, habeare insuavis ; acerbus 85 

Odisti, et fugis, ut Rusonem debitor aeris, 
Qui nisi, quum tristes misero venere Kalendae, 
Mercedem aut nummos unde unde extricat, amaras 
Porrecto jugulo historias, captivus ut, audit. 
Comminxit lectum potus, mensave catillum 90 

Evandri manibus tritum dejecit : ob hanc rem, 
Aut positum ante mea quia pullum in parte catini 
Sustulit esuriens, minus hoc jucundus amicus 
Sit mihi 1 Quid faciam, si furtum fecerit 1 aut si 
Prodiderit commissa fide 1 sponsumve negarit % 95 

Queis paria esse fere placuit peccata, laborant, 
Quum ventum ad verum est : sensus moresque repugnant : 
Atque ipsa utilitas, justi prope mater et aequi, 
Quum prorepserunt primis animalia terris, 
Mutum et turpe pecus, glandem atque cubilia propter 100 



150 ft. HORATII FLACCI 

Unguibus et pugnis, dein fustibus, atque ita porro 

Pugnabant armis, quae post fabricaverat usus ; 

Donee verba, quibus voces sensusque notarent, 

Nominaque invenere : dehinc absistere bello, 

Oppida coeperunt munire, et ponere leges, 105 

Ne quis fur esset, neu latro, neu quis adulter. 

Nam fuit ante Helenam cunnus teterrima belli 

Causa : sed ignotis perierunt mortibus illi, 

Q,uas, Venerem incertam rapientes, more ferarum, 

Viribus editior caedebat, ut in grege taurus. 110 

Jura inventa metu injusti fateare necesse est, 

Tempora si fastosque velis evolvere mundi. 

Nee natura potest justo secernere iniquum, 

Dividit ut bona diversis, fugienda petendis : 

Nee vincet ratio hoc, tantundem ut peccet idemque, 115 

Qui teneros caules alieni fregerit horti, 

Et qui nocturnus sacra divum legerit. Adsit 

Regula, peccatis quae poenas irroget aequas, 

Nee scutica dignum horribili sectere flagello. 

Ne ferula caedas meritum majora subire 120 

Verbera, non vereor, quum dicas esse pares res 

Furta latrociniis, et magnis parva mineris 

Falce recisurum simili te, si tibi regnum 

Permittant homines. Si dives, qui sapiens est, 

Et sutor bonus, et solus formosus, et est rex ; 125 

Cur optas quod habes ? — Non nosti, quid pater, inquit, 

Chrysippus dicat. Sapiens crepidas sibi nunquam 

Nee soleas fecit ; sutor tamen est sapiens. — Qui ? — 

Ut, quamvis tacet Hermogenes, cantor tamen atque 

Optimus est modulator ; ut Alfenus vafer, omni 130 

Abjecto instrumento artis clausaque taberna, 

Tonsor erat : sapiens operis sic optimus omnis 

Est opifex solus, sic rex. — Vellunt tibi barbam 

Lascivi pueri, quos tu nisi fuste coerces, 

Urgueris turba circum te stante, miserque 135 

Rumperis, et latras, magnorum maxim e regum. 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 4. 151 

Ne longum faciam, dum tu quadrante lavatum 

Rex ibis, neque te quisquam stipator, ineptum 

Praeter Crispinum, sectabitur : et mihi dulces 

Ignoscent, si quid peccaro stultus, amici ; 140 

Inque vicem illorum patiar delicta libenter, 

Privatusque magis vivam te rege beatus. 

Satira IV. 
IN OBTRECTATORES SUOS. 

Eupolis atque Cratinus Aristophanesque, poetae, 

Atque alii, quorum Comoedia prisca virorum est, 

Si quis erat dignus describi, quod malus, aut fur, 

Quod moechus foret, aut sicarius, aut alioqui 

Famosus, multa cum libertate notabant. 5 

Hinc omnis pendet Lucilius, hosce secutus, 

Mutatis tantum pedibus numerisque, facetus, 

Emunctae naris, durus componere versus. 

Nam fuit hoc vitiosus, in hora saepe ducentos, 

Ut magnum, versus dictabat stans pede in uno. 10 

Q,uum flueret lutulentus, erat quod tollere velles : 

Garrulus, atque piger scribendi ferre laborem, 

Scribendi recte ; nam ut multum ; nil moror. Ecce 

Crispinus minimo me provocat. — Accipe, si vis, 

Accipiam tabulas ; detur nobis locus, hora, 1 5 

Custodes ; videamus, uter plus scribere possit. 4-* 

Di bene fecerunt, inopis me quodque pusilli 

Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis ; 

At tu conclusas hircinis follibus auras, 

Usque laborantes, dum ferrum emolliat ignis, 20 

Ut mavis, imitare. 

Beatus Fannius, ultro 
Delatis capsis et imagine ! quum mea nemo 
Scripta legat, vulgo recitare timentis, ob hanc rem, 
Quod sunt quos genus hoc minime juvat, utpote plurcs 
16* 



152 <*. HORATII FLACCI 

Culpari dignos. Q,uemvis media elige turba ; 25 

Aut ab avaritia aut misera ambitione laborat. 

Hie nuptarum insanit amoribus, hie puerorum ; 

Hunc capit argenti splendor ; stupet Albius aere ; 

Hie mutat merces surgente a sole ad eum, quo 

Vespertina tepet regio ; quin per mala praeceps 30 

Fertur, uti pulvis collectus turbine, ne quid 

Summa deperdat metuens, aut ampliet ut rem. 

Omnes hi metuunt versus, odere poetas. — 

Fenum habet in cornu, longefuge ; dummodo visum 

Excutiat sibi, non hie cuiquam pared amico ; 35 

Et, quodcunque semel chartis illeverit, omnes 

Gestiet afurno redeuntes scire lacuque, 

Et pueros et anus. — Agedum, pauca accipe contra. 

Primum ego me illorum, dederim quibus esse poetis, 

Excerpam numero. Neque enim concludere versum 40 

Dixeris esse satis, neque, si qui scribat, uti nos, 

Sermoni propiora, putes hunc esse poetam. 

Ingenium cui sit, cui mens divinior, atque os 

Magna sonaturum, des nominis hujus honorem. 

Idcirco quidam, Comoedia necne poema 45 

Esset, quaesivere ; quod acer spiritus ac vis 

Nee verbis nee rebus inest, nisi quod pede certo 

Differt sermoni, sermo merus. — Jit pater ardens 

Saevit, quod mereirice nepos insanus arnica 

Films uxorem grandi cum dote recuset, 50 

Ebrius et, magnum quod dedecus, ambxdet ante 

Noctem cumfacibus. — Numquid Pomponius istis 

Audiret leviora, pater si viveret 1 Ergo 

Non satis est puris versum perscribere verbis, 

Quern si dissolvas, quivis stomachetur eodem 55 

Quo personatus pacto pater. His, ego quae nunc, 

Olim quae scripsit Lucilius, eripias si 

Tempora certa modosque, et quod prius ordine verburja est, 

Posterius facias, praeponens ultima primis : 

Non, ut si solvas, " Postquam discordia tetra 60 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 4. 153 

Belli ferratos postes portasque refregit :" 
Invenias etiam disjecti membra poetae ; 

Hactenus haec ; alias, justum sit necne poema ; 
Nunc illud tantum quaeram, meritone tibi sit 
Suspectum genus hoc scribendi. Sulcius acei 65 

Ambulat et Caprius, rauci male cumque libellis, 
Magnus uterque timor latronibus : at bene si quis 
Et vivat puns manibus, contemnat utrumque. 
Ut sis tu similis Caelt Birrique, latronum, 
Non ego sum Caprt neque Sulci : cur metuas me ? 70 

Nulla taberna meos habeat neque pila libellos, 
Q.ueis manus insudet vulgi Hermogenisque Tigelli, 
Nee recito cuiquam, nisi amicis, idque coactus, 
Non ubivis, coramve quibuslibet. — In medio qui 
Scriptaforo recitent, sunt multi, quique lavantes ; 75 

Suave locus voci resonat conclusus. — Inanes 
Hoc juvat, haud illud quaerentes, num sine sensu, 
Tempore num faciant alieno. — Laedere gaudes, 
Inquit, et hoc studio pravus facis. — Unde petitum 
Hoc in me jacis ? est auctor quis denique eorum, 80 

Vixi cum quibus 1 Absentem qui rodit amicum, 
Qui non defendit alio culpante, solutos 
Q,ui captat risus hominum famamque dicacis, 
Fingere qui non visa potest, commissa tacere 
Q/ui nequit : hie niger est, hunc tu, Romane, caveto. 85 

Saepe tribus lectis videas coenare quatemos, 
E quibus imus amet quavis adspergere cunctos, 
Praeter eum, qui praebet aquam : post, hunc quoque potus, 
Condita quum verax aperit praecordia Liber : 
Hie tibi comis et urbanus liberque videtur 90 

Infesto nigris : ego si risi, quod ineptus 
Pastillos Rufillus olet, Gargonius hircum, 
Lividus et mordax videor tibi ? Mentio si qua 
De Capitolini furtis injecta Petillt 

Te coram fuerit, defendas, ut tuus est mos : — 96 

JMe Capitolinus convictore usus amicoque 



154 Q. UORATII FLACCI 

A puero est, camaque mea permulta rogatus 

Fecit, et incolumis laetor quod vivit in urbe ; 

Sed tai)ien admiror, quo pacto judicium Mud 

Fugerit. — Hie nigrae fucus lokginis, haec est 100 

Aerugo mera, quod vitium procul afore chartis, 

Atque animo prius, ut si quid promittere de me 

Possum aliud vere, promitto. Liberius si 

Dixero quid, si forte jocosius, hoc mihi juris 

Cum venia dabis. Insuevit pater optimus hoc me, 105 

Ut fugerem, exemplis vitiorum quaeque notando. 

Quum me hortaretur, parce, frugaliter, atque 

Viverem uti contentus eo, quod ml ipse parasset : 

Nonnc vides, AIM ut male viv at films ? utque 

Barms inops ? magnum documentum, ne patriam rem 110 

Perdere quis velit. A turpi meretricis amore 

Quum deterreret : Scetani dissimilis sis. 

Ne sequerer moechas, concessa quum Venere uti 

Possem : Deprensi non bella estfama Treboni, 

Aiebat. Sapiens, vitatu quidque petitu 115 

Sit melius, causas reddet iibi ; mi satis est, si 

Tradition ab antiquis morem servare, tuamque, 

Dum custodis eges, vitam famamque tueri 

Incolumem possum ; simul ac duraverit aetas 

Membra animumque tuum, nobis sine cortice. Sic me 120 

Formabat puerum dictis, et sive jubebat 

Ut facerem quid, Habes auctorem, quo facias hoc ; 

Unum ex judicibus selectis objiciebat : 

Sive vetabat, An hoc inhonestum et inutile factum 

Necne sit, addubites, flagret rumore malo quum 125 

Hie atque Me ? Avidos vicinum funus ut aegros 

Exanimat, mortisque metu sibi parcere cogit ; 

Sic teneros animos aliena opprobria saepe 

Absterrent vitiis. Ex hoc ego sanus ab illis, 

Perniciem quaecunque ferunt ; mediocribus, et queis 130 

Ignoscas, vitiis teneor. Fortassis et istinc 

Largiter abstulerit longa aetas, liber amicus, 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 5. 155 

Consilium proprium ; neque enim, quum lectulus aut me 

Porticus excepit, desum mihi. Rectius hoc est ; 

Hoc faciens vivam melius ; sic dulcis amicis 135 

Occurram ; hoc quidam non belle ; numquid ego illi 

Imprudens olimfaciam simile ? Haec ego mecum 

Compressis agito labris ; ubi quid datur oti, 

Illudo chartis. Hoc est mediocribus illis 

Ex vitiis unum, cui si concedere nolis, 140 

Multa poetarum veniet manus, auxilio quae 

Sit mihi, nam multo plures sumus, ac veluti te 

Judaei cogemus in hanc concedere turbam. 



Satira V. 
ITER BRUNDISINUM. 

Egressum magna me excepit Aricia Roma 

Hospitio modico ; rhetor comes Heliodorus, 

Graecorum linguae doctissimus. Inde Forum Appt 

Differtum nautis, cauponibus atque mabgnis. 

Hoc iter ignavi divisimus, altius ac nos 5 

Praecinctis unum : nimis est gravis Appia tardis. 

Hie ego propter aquam, quod erat deterrima, ventri 

Indico bellum, coenantes haud animo aequo 

Exspectans comites. Jam nox inducere terris 

Umbras et coelo diffundere signa parabat : 10 

Turn pueri nautis, pueris convicia nautae 

Ingerere. — Hue appelle. Trecentos inseris ; ohe 1 

Jam satis est. — Dum aes exigitur, dum mula ligatur, 

Tota abit hora. Mali cuHces ranaeque palustres 

Avertunt somnos. Absentem ut cantat amicam 15 

Multa prolutus vappa nauta atque viator 

Certatim : tandem fessus dormire viator 

Incipit, ac missae pastum retinacula mulae 

Nauta piger saxo religat, stertitque supinus. 

Jamque dies aderat, nil quum procedere Hntrem 20 



156 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Sentimus, donee cerebrosus prosilit unus, 
Ac mulae nautaeque caput lumbosque saligno 
Fuste dolat. Quarta viz. demum exponimur hora, 
Ora manusque tua lavimur, Feronia, lympha. 

Millia turn pransi tria repimus, atque subimus 25 

Impositum saxis late candentibus Anxur. 
Hue venturus erat Maecenas optimus, atque 
Cocceius, missi magnis de rebus uterque 
Legati, aversos soliti componere amicos. 
Hie oculis ego nigra meis collyria bppus 30 

Illinere. Interea Maecenas advenit atque 
Cocceius Capitoque simul Fonteius, ad unguem 
Factus homo, Antoni, non ut magis alter, amicus. 
Fundos Aufidio Lusco praetore libenter 
Linquimus, insani ridentes praemia scribae, 35 

Praetextam et latum clavum prunaeque batillum. 
In Mamurrarum lassi deinde urbe manemus, 
Murena praebente domum, Capitone culinam. 

Postera lux oritur multo gratissima, namque 
Plotius et Varius Sinuessae Virgiliusque 40 

Occurrunt, animae, quales neque candidiores 
Terra tulit, neque queis me sit devinctior alter. 
O qui complexus et gaudia quanta fuerunt ! 
Nil ego contulerim jucundo sanus amico. 

Proxima Campano ponti quae villula, tectum 45 

Praebuit, et parochi, quae debent, ligna salemque. 
Hinc muli Capuae clitellas tempore ponunt. 
Lusum it Maecenas, dormitum ego Virgiliusque : 
Namque pila lippis inimicum et ludere crudis. 

Hinc nos Cocceii recipit plenissima villa, 50 

Quae super est Caudi cauponas. Nunc mihi paucis 
Sarmenti scurrae pugnam Messlque Cicirri, 
Musa, velim memores, et quo patre natus uterque 
Contulerit lites. Messi clarum genus Osci ; 
Sarmenti domina exstat. Ab his majoribus orti 55 

Ad pugnam venere. Prior Sarmentus : Equi te 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 5. 157 

Esseferisimilemdico. Ridemus ; et ipse 

Messius, Accipio ; caput et movet. O, tua cornu 

Niforet exsecto frons, inquit, quidfaceres, quum 

Sic mutilus minitaris ? At illi foeda cicatrix 60 

Setosam laevi frontem turpaverat oris. 

Campanum in morbum, in faciem permulta jocatus, 

Pastorem saltaret uti Cyclopa, rogabat ; 

Nil illi larva aut tragicis opus esse cothurnis. 

Multa Cicirrus ad haec : Donasset jamne catenam 65 

Ex voto Laribus, quaerebat ; scriba quod esset, 

Nibilo deterius dominae jus esse. Rogabat 

Denique, cur unquam fugisset 1 cui satis una 

Farris libra foret, gracili sic tamque pusillo. 

Prorsus jucunde coenam produximus illam. 70 

Tendimus hinc recta Beneventum, ubi sedulus hospes 
Paene macros arsit dum turdos versat in igne. 
Nam vaga per veterem dilapso flamma culinam 
Vulcano summum properabat lambere tectum. 
Convivas avidos coenam servosque timentes 75 

Turn rapere, atque omnes restinguere velle videres. 

Incipit ex illo montes Appulia notos 
Ostentare mihi, quos torret Atabulus, et quos 
Nunquam erepsemus, nisi nos vicina Trivici 
Villa recepisset, lacrimoso non sine fumo, 80 

Udos cum fohis ramos urente camino. 
Hie ego mendacem stultissimus usque puellam 
Ad mediam noctem exspecto : somnus tamen aufert 
[ntentum Veneri ; turn imrnundo somnia visu 
Nocturnam vestem maculant ventremque supinum. 85 

Quatuor hinc rapimur viginti et millia rhedis, 
Mansuri oppidulo, quod versu dicere non est, 
Signis perfacile est : venit vilissima rerum 
Hie aqua, sed panis longe pulcherrimus, ultra 
Callidus ut soleat humeris por tare viator ; 90 

Nam Canust lapidosus, aquae non ditior urna. 



158 0.. HORATII FLACCI 

[Qui locus a forti Diomede est conditus olim.] 
Flenlibus hie Varius discedit moestus amicis. 

Inde Rubos fessi pervenimus, utpote longum 
Carpentes iter et factum corruptius imbri. 95 

Postera ternpestas melior, via pejor ad usque 
Bar! moenia piscosi. Dehinc Gnatia lymphis 
Iratis exstructa dedit risusque jocosque, 
Dum flamma sine thura liquescere limine sacro 
Persuadere cupit. Credat Judaeus Apella, 100 

Non ego ; namque deos didici securum agere aevum, 
Nee, si quid miri faciat natura, deos id 
Tristes ex alto coeli demittere tecto. 
Brundisium longae finis chartaeque vinoque. 

Satira vr. 

IN DERISORES NATALIUM SUORUM. 

Non, quia, Maecenas, Lydorum quidquid Etruscos 

Incoluit fines, nemo generosior est te, 

Nee, quod avus tibi maternus fait atque paternus, 

Olim qui magnis legionibus imperitarent, 

lit plerique solent, naso suspendis adunco 5 

Ignotos, ut me libertino patre natum. 

Gluum referre negas, quali sit quisque parente 

Natus, dum ingenuus : persuades hoc tibi vere, 

Ante potestatem Tulli atque ignobile regnum 

Multos saepe viros nullis majoribus ortos . 10 

Et vixisse probos, amplis et honoribus auctos : 

Contra Laevinum, Valeri genus, unde Superbus 

Tarquinius regno pulsus fugit, unius assis 

Non unquam pretio pluris licuisse, notante 

Judice, quo nosti, populo, qui stultus honores 15 

Saepe dat indignis, et famae servit ineptus, 

Q,ui stupet in titulis et imaginibus. Quid oportet 

V"os facere, a vulgo longe longeque remotos 1 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 6. 159 

Namque esto, populus Laevino mallet honorem 
Q,uam Decio mandare novo, censorque moveret 20 

Appius, ingenuo si non essem patre natus ; 
Vel merito, quoniam in propria non pelle quiessem. 
Sed fulgente trahit constrictos gloria curru 
Non minus ignotos generosis. duo tibi, Tilli, 
Sumere depositum clavum, fierique tribuno ? 25 

Invidia accrevit, privato quae minor esset. 
Nam ut quisque insanus nigris medium impediit crus 
Pellibus et latum demisit pectore clavum, 
Audit continuo : Gluis homo hie ? et quo patre natus? 
Ut si qui aegrotet, quo morbo Barrus, haberi 30 

Ut cupiat formosus ; eat quacunque, puellis 
Injiciat curam quaerendi singula, quali 
Sit facie, sura, quali pede, dente, capillo : 
Sic qui promittit, cives, Urbem sibi curae, 
Imperium fore, et Italiam et delubra deorum ; 35 

Quo patre sit natus, num ignota matre inhonestus, 
Omnes mortales curare et quaerere cogit. — 
Tune Syri, Damae, aut Dionysi jilius, audes, 
Dejicere e saxo cives, aut tradere Cadmo ? — 
At Novius collega gradu post me sedet uno : 40 

Namque est ille, pater quod erat metis. \£ Hoc tibi Paullus 
Et Messala videris ? At hie, si plostra ducenta 
Concurrantque foro triafunera, magna sonabit 
Cornua quod vincatque tubas : saltern tenet hoc nos. — 

Nunc ad me redeo, libertino patre natum, 45 

Gtuem rodunt omnes libertino patre natum ; 
Nunc quia sim tibi, Maecenas, convictor, at olim, 
Q,uod mihi pareret legio Romana tribuno. 
Dissimile hoc illi est, quia non, ut forsit honorem 
Jure mihi invideat quivis, ita te quoque amicum, 50 

Praesertim cauUim dignos assumere prava 
Ambitione procul. Felicem dicer e non hoc 
Me possum, casu quod te sortitus amicum ; 
Nulla etenim mihi te fors obtulit ; optimus olim 
17 



160 d. HORATII FLACCI 

Virgilius, post hunc Varius, dixere quid essem. 55 

Ut veni coram, singultim pauca locutus, 

Infans namque pudor prohibebat plura profari, 

Non ego me claro natum patre, non ego circrum 

Me Satureiano vectari rura caballo, 

Sed quod eram, narro : respondes, ut tuus est mos, 60 

Pauca : abeo : et revocas nono post mense, jubesque 

Esse in amicorum numero. Magnum hoc ego duco, 

Quod placui tibi, qui turpi secernis honestum, 

Non patre praeclaro, sed vita et pectore puro. 

Atqui si vitiis mediocribus ac mea paucis 65 

Mendosa est natura, alioqui recta, velut si 

Egregio inspersos reprendas corpore naevos, 

Si neque avaritiam neque sordes aut mala lustra 

Objiciet vere quisquam mihi ; purus et insons, 

Ut me collaudem, si et vivo cams amicis : 70 

Causa fuit pater his, qui macro pauper agello 

Noluit in Flavi ludum me mittere, magni 

duo pueri magnis e centurionibus orti, 

Laevo suspensi loculos tabulamque lacerto, 

Ibant octonis referentes Idibus aera ; 75 

Sed puerum est ausus Romam portare, docendum 

Artes, quas doceat quivis eques atque senator 

Semet prognatos. Vestem servosque sequentes, 

In magno ut populo, si qui vidisset, avita 

Ex re praeberi sumtus mihi crederet illos. 80 

Ipse mihi custos incorruptissirnus omnes 

Circum doctores aderat. Quid multa ? pudicum, 

Q,ui primus virtutis honos servavit ab omni 

Non solum facto, verum opprobrio quoque tv.ipi, 

Nee timuit, sibi ne vitio quis verteret olim T 85 

Si praeco parvas, aut, ut fuit ipse, coactor 

Mercedes sequerer ; neque ego essem questus. Ad hoc nunc 

Laus illi debetur et a me gratia major. 

Nil me poeniteat sanum patris hujus, eoque 

Non, ut magna dolo factum negat esse suo pars, 90 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 6. 161 

Q,uod non ingenuos habeat clarosque parentes, 

Sic me defendam. Longe mea discrepat istis 

Et vox et ratio. Nam si natura juberet 

A certis annis aevum remeare peractum, 

Atque alios legere ad fastum quoscunque parentes : 95 

Optaret sibi quisque ; meis contentus honestos 

Fascibus et sellis nollem mihi sumere, demens 

Judicio vulgi, sanus fortasse tuo, quod 

Nollem onus haud unquam solitus portare molestum. 

Nam mihi continuo major quaerenda foret res, '^ 100 

Atque salutandi plures : ducendus et unus 

Et comes alter, uti ne solus rusve peregreve 

Exirem ; plures calones atque caballi 

Pascendi ; ducenda petorrita. Nunc mihi curto 

Ire licet mulo vel, si libet, usque Tarentum, 105 

Mantica cui lumbos onere ulceret atque eques armos. 

Objiciet nemo sordes mihi, quas tibi, Tulli, 

Q,uum Tiburte via praetorem quinque sequuntur 

Te pueri, lasanum portantes oenophorumque. 

Hoc ego commodius quam tu, praeclare senator, 110 

Multis atque aliis vivo. Quacunque libido est, 

Incedo solus : percontor, quanti olus ac far ; 

Fallacem circum vespertinumque pererro 

Saepe forum ; adsisto divinis ; inde domum me 

Ad porri et ciceris refero laganique catinum. 115 

Coena ministratur pueris tribus, et lapis albus 

Pocula cum cyatho duo sustinet ; adstat echinus 

Vilis, cum patera guttus, Campana supellex. 

Deinde eo dormitum, non sollicitus, mihi quod eras 

Surgendum sit mane, obeundus Marsya, qui se 120 

Vultum ferre negat Noviorum posse minoris. 

Ad quartam jaceo ; post hanc vagor, aut ego, lecto 

Aut scripto quod me taciturn juvet, ungor olivo, 

Non quo fraudatis immundus Natta lucernis. 

Ast ubi me fessum sol acrior ire lavatum 125 

Admonuit, fugio campum lusumque trigonem. 



162 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Pransus non avide, quantum interpellet inani 

Ventre diem durare, domesticus otior. Haec est 

Vita solutorum misera ambitione gravique. 

His me consolor victurum suavius, ac si 130 

Quaestor avus, pater atque me as, patruusque fuisset. 

Satira VII. 

IN MALEDICOS ET INHUMANOS. 

Proscripti Regis Rupilt pus atque venenum 

Hybrida quo pacto sit Persius ultus, opinor 

Omnibus et lippis notum et tonsoribus esse. 

Persius hie permagna negotia dives habebat 

Clazomenis, etiam lites cum Rege molestas ; 5 

Durus homo, atque odio qui posset vincere Regem, 

Confidens, tumidusque, adeo sermonis amari, 

Sisennas, Barros ut equis praecurreret albis. 

Ad Regem redeo. Postquam nihil inter utrumque 

Convenit : (hoc etenim sunt omnes jure molesti, 10 

Quo fortes, quibus adversum bellum incidit : inter 

Hectora Priamiden, animosum atque inter Achillem 

Ira fuit capitahs, ut ultima divideret mors, 

Non aham ob causam nisi quod virtus in utroque 

Summa fuit ; duo si discordia vexet inertes, 1 5 

Aut si disparibus bellum incidat, ut Diomedi 

Cum Lycio Glauco, discedat pigrior, ultro 

Muneribus missis.) Bruto Praetore tenente 

Ditem Asiam, Rupili et Persi par pugnat, uti non 

Compositi melius cum Bitho Bacchius. In jus 20 

Acres procurrunt, magnum spectaculum uterque. 

Persius exponit causam ; ridetur ab omni 

Conventu : laudat Brutum laudatque cohortem ; 

Solem Asiae Brutum appellat, stellasque salubres 

Appellat comites, excepto Rege ; canem ilium, 25 

Invisum agricolis sidus, venisse : ruebat, 



SERSIONUM LIB. I. 8. 163 

Flumen ut hibernum, fertur quo rara securis. 

Turn Praenestinus salso multoque fluenti 

Expressa arbusto regerit convicia, durus 

Vindemiator et invictus, cui saepe viator 30 

Cessisset, magna compellans voce cucullum 

At Graecus, postquam est Italo perfusus aceto, 

Persius exclamat : Per magnos, Brute, deos te 

Oro, qui reges consuesti tollere ; cur non 

Hunc Regem jugulas ? operum hoc, mihi crede, tuorum est. 35 

Satira VIII. 

IN SUPERSTITIOSOS ET VENEFICAS. 

Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum, 
Q,uum faber, incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum, 
Maluit esse deum. Deus inde ego, furum aviumque 
Maxima formido : nam fures dextra coercet 
Obscoenoque ruber porrectus ab inguine palus. 5 

Ast impor tunas volucres in vertice arundo 
Terret fixa, vetatque novis considere in hortis. 
Hue piius angustis ejecta cadavera cellis 
Conservus vili portanda locabat in area. 
Hoc miserae plebi stabat commune sepulcrum, 10 

Pantolabo scurrae Nomentanoque nepoti. 
Mille pedes in fronte, trecentos cippus in agrum 
Hie dabat ; heredes monumentum ne sequeretur. 
Nunc licet Esquiliis habitare salubribus, atque 
Aggere in aprico spatiari, qua modo tristes 15 

Albis informem spectabant ossibus agrum, 
Q/uum mihi non tantum furesque feraeque, suetae 
Hunc vexare locum, curae sunt atque labori, 
duantum carminibus quae versant atque venenis 
Humanos animos. Has nullo perdere possum 20 

Nee prohibere modo, simul ac vaga Luna decorum 
Protulit os, quin ossa legant herbasque nocentes. 
17* 



164 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Vidi egomct nigra succinctam vadere palla 

Canidiam, pedibus nudis, passoque capillo, 

Cum Sagana majore ululantem. Pallor utrasque 25 

Fecerat horrendas adspectu. Scalpere terrain 

Unguibus, et pullam divellere mordicus agnam 

Coeperunt ; cruor in fossam confusus, ut inde 

Manes elicerent, animas responsa daturas. 

Lanea et effigies erat, altera cerea ; major 30 

Lanea, quae poenis compesceret inferiorem. 

Cerea suppliciter stabat, servilibus ut quae 

Jam peritura modis. Hecate^ vocat altera, saevam 

Altera Tisiphonen: serpentes atque videres 

Infernas errare canes, lunamque rubentem, 35 

Ne foret his testis, post magna latere sepulcra. 

Mentior at si quid, merdis caput inquiner albis 

Corvorum, atque in me veniat mictum atque cacatum 

Julius, et fragilis Pediatia, furque Voranus. 

Singula quid memorem 1 quo pacto alterna loquentes 40 

Umbrae cum Sagana resonarent triste et acutum 1 

Utque lupi barbam variae cum dente colubrae 

A.bdiderint furtum terris, et imagine cerea 

Largior arserit ignis, et ut non testis inultus 

Horruerim voces Furiarum et facta duarum ? 45 

Nam, displosa sonat quantum vesica, pepedi 

Diffissa nate ficus : at illae currere in urbem. 

Canidiae dentes, altum Saganae caliendrum 

Excidere, atque herbas, atque incantata lacertis 

Vincula, cum magno risuque jocoque videres. 50 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 9. 165 



Satira IX. 



IN IMPUDENTES ET INEPTOS 
PARASITASTROS. 

Ibam forte via Sacra, sicut meus est mos, 

Nescio quid meditans nugarum, totus in illis : 

Accurrit quidam notus mihi nomine tantum, 

Ari'eptaque manu, Quid agis, dulcissime rerum ? 

Suaviter, ut nunc est, inquam, et cupio omnia quae vis. 5 

Quum assectaretur, JYum quid vis 1 occupo : at ille, 

Noris nos, inquit ; docti sumus. Hie ego, Pluris 

Hoc, inquam, mihi eris. Misere discedere quaerens. 

Ire modo ocius, interdum consistere, in aurem 

Dicer e nescio quid puero ; quum sudor ad imos 10 

Manaret talos. O te, Bolane, cerebri 

Felicem ! aiebam tacitus, quum quidlibet ille 

Garriret, vicos, urbem laudaret. Ut illi 

Nil respondebam, Misere cupis, inquit, abire, 

Jamdudum video, sed nil agis, usque tenebo. 15 

Persequar. Hinc quo nunc iter est tibi ? — Nil opus est te 

Circumagi ; quendam volo visere non tibi notum ; 

Trans Tiberim longe cubat is, props Caesaris hortos. — 

Nil habeo quod agam, et non sumpiger; usque sequar te. — 

Demitto auriculas ut iniquae mentis asellus, 20 

Q.uum gravius dorso subiit onus. Incipit ille : 

Si bene me novi, non Viscum pluris amicum, 

Non Varium fades ; nam quis me scribere plures 

Aut citius possit versus ? quis membra movere 

J\Iollius ? invideat quod et Hermogencs, ego canto. 25 

Interpellandi locus hie erat. — Est tibi mater ? 

Cognati, queis te salvo est opus ? — Haud mihi quisquam ; 

Omnes compoeui. — Felices ! Nunc ego resto ; 



1 60 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Confice, namque instatfatum mihi triste, Sabella 

Quod puero cechiit mota divina anus urna : 30 

" Hunc neque diva venena nee hosticus auferet ensis, 

" Nee laterum dolor aut tussis nee tarda podagra ; 

" Garrulus hunc quando consumet cunque ; loquaces, 

" Si sapiat, vitet, simul atque adoleverit aetas." 

Ventum erat ad Vestae, quarta jam parte diei 35 

Praeterita, et casu tunc respondere vadato 
Debebat : quod ni fecisset, perdere litem. 
Si me amas, inquit, paulum hie ades. — Inteream, si 
Autvaleo stare, aut novi civiliajura ; 

Et propero quo scis. — Dubius sum quidfaciam, inquit ; 40 
Tene relinquam an rem. — JVfe, sodes. — Nonfaciam, ille, 
Et praecedere coepit. Ego, ut contendere durum est 
Cum victore, sequor. — Maecenas quomodo tecum ? 
Hie repetit. — Paucorum hominum et mentis bene sanae ; 
Nemo dexterius fortuna est usus. — Haberes 45 

JWagnum adjutorem, posset qui f err e secundas, 
Hunc hominem velles si tradere ; dispeream, ni 
Summosses omnes. — Non isto vivitur illic, 
Quo tu rere, modo ; domus hac nee purior ulla est, 
Nee magis his aliena malis ; nil mi officii inquam, 50 

Ditior hie aut est quia doctior ; est locus uni 
Cuique suus. — JWagnum narras, vix credibile. — Atqui 
Sic habet. — Accendis, quare cupiam magis illi 
Proximus esse. — Velis tantummodo ; quae tua virtus, 
Expugnabis, et est qui vinci possit, eoque 55 

Difficiles aditus primos habet. — Haud mihi deero ; 
JWuneribus servos corrumpam ; non, hodie si 
Exclusus fuero, desistam ; tempora quaeram ; 
Occurram in triviis, deducam. Nil sine magno 
Vita labore dedit mortalibus. — Haec dum agi-t, ecce, 60 
Fuscus Aristius occurrit, mihi carus et ilium 
Q,ui pulchre nosset. Consistimus, Unde venis ? et, 
duo tendis ? rogat et respondet. Vellere coepi, 
Et prensare manu lentissima brachia, nutans, 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 10. 167 

Distorquens oculos, ut me eriperet. Male salsus 65 

Ridens dissimulare. Meum jecur urere bilis. . 

Certe nescio quid secreto velle loqui te 

JLiebas mecum. — JWemini bene, sed meliori 

Tempore dicam ; hodie tricesima sabbata ; vin 1 tu 

Curtis Judaeis oppedere ? — NMa mihi, inquam, 70 

Relligio est. — At mt ; sum paulo infirmior, unus 

Multorum ; ignosces, alias loquar. — Hunccine solem 

Tarn nigrum surrexe mihi ! Fugit improbus ac me 

Sub cultro linquit. Casu venit obvius illi 

Adversarius, et, Quo tu turpissime ? magna 75 

Inclamat voce, et, Licet anlestari ? Ego vero 

Appono auriculam. Rapit in jus. Clamor utrinque, 

Undique concurs us. Sic me servavit Apollo. 



Satira X. 
IN INEPTOS LUCILII FAUTORES. 



Lucili, quam sis mendfosus, teste Catone 

Defensore tuo pervincam, qui malefactos 

Emendare parat versus. Hoc lenius Me, 

Quo melior vir adest ; longe subtilior illo, 

Qui multum puer est loris et funibus udis 

Exoratus, ut esset, opem qui ferre poetis 

Antiquis posset contra fastidia nostra, 

Grammaticorum equitum doctissimus. Ut redeam illuc. 



Nempe incomposito dixi pede currere versus 

Lucili. Q.uis tarn Lucili fautor inepte est, 

Ut non hoc fateatur ? At idem, quod sale multo 



168 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Urbem defricuit, charta laudatur eadem. 

Nee tamen hoc tribuens dederim quoque cetera ; nam sic 5 

Et Laberi mimos ut pulchra poemata mirer. 

Ergo non satis est risu diducere rictum 

Auditoris : et est quaedarn tamen hie quoque virtus : 

Est brevitate opus, ut currat sententia, neu se 

Impediat verbis lassas onerantibus aures : 10 

Et sermone opus est modo tristi, saepe jocoso, 

Defendente vicem modo rhetoris atque poetae, 

Interdum urbani, parcentis viribus, atque 

Extenuantis eas considto. Ridiculum acri 

Fortius et melius magnas plerumque secat res. 15 

Illi, scripta quibus Comoedia prisca viris est, 
Hoc stabant, hoc sunt imitandi ; quos neque pulcher 
Hermogenes unquam legit, neque simius iste, 
Nil praeter Calvum et doctus cantare Catullum. — 
Jit magnum fecit, quod verbis Graeca Latinis 20 

Miscuit. — O seri studiorum ! qutne putetis 
Difficile et mirum, Rhodio quod Pitholeonti 
Contigit 1 — Jit sermo lingua concinnus utraque 
Suavior, ut Chio nota si commixta Falerni est. 
Quum versus facias, te ipsum percontor, an et quum 25 

Dura tibi peragenda rei sit causa PetiLlt 
Scilicet, oblitus patriaeque patrisque, Latine 
Quum Pedius causas exsudet Pubhcola, atque 
Corvinus ; patriis intermiscere petita 

Verba foris malis, Canusini more bilinguis ? 30 

Atqui ego quum Graecos facerem, natus mare citra, 
Versiculos, vetuit tali me voce Quirinus, 
Post mediam noctem visus, quum somnia vera : 
In silvam non ligna feras insanius, ac si 
J\Iagnas Graecorum malis implere catervas. 35 

Turgidus Alpinus jugulat dum Memnona, dumque 
Deflngit Rheni luteum caput : haec ego ludo, 
Quae neque in aede sonent certantia judice Tarpa, 
Nee redeant iterum atque iterum spectanda theatris. 



SERMONUM LIB. I. 10. 169 

Arguta meretrice potes, Davoque Chremeta 40 

Eludente senem, comis garrire libellos, 
Unus vivorum, Fundani : Pollio regum 
Facta canit pede ter percusso : forte epos acer, 
Ut nemo, Varius ducit : molle atque facetum 
Virgilio annuerunt gaudentes rure Camenae. 45 

Hoc erat, experto frustra Varrone Atacino 
Atque quibusdam aliis, melius quod scribere possem, 
Inventore minor ; neque ego illi detrahere ausim 
Haerentem capiti cum multa laude coronanu 
At dixi fluere hunc lutulentum, saepe ferentein 50 

Plura quidem tollenda relinquendis. Age, quaeso, 
Tu nihil in magno doctus reprendis Homero ? 
Nil comis tragici mutat Lucilius Atti ? 
Non ridet versus Enni gravitate minores 1 
Q,uum de se loquitur, non ut majore reprensis % 55 

Quid vetat et nosmet Lucili scripta legentes 
(iuaerere, num illius, num rerum dura negarit 
Versiculos natura magis factos et euntes 
Mollius, ac si quis, pedibus quid claudere senis, 
Hoc tantum contentus, amet scripsisse ducentos 60 

Ante cibum versus, totidem coenatus ? Etrusci 
Quale fuit Cassi rapido ferventius amni 
Ingenium, capsis quern fama est esse librisque 
Combustum propriis. Fuerit Lucilius, inquam, 
Comis et urbanus ; fuerit limatior idem, 65 

Q,uam rudis et Graecis intacti carminis auctor, 
Quamque poetarum senior urn turba : sed ille, 
Si foret hoc nostrum fato delatus in aevum, 
Detereret sibi multa, recideret omne, quod ultra 
Perfectum traheretur, et in versu faciendo 70 

Saepe caput scaberet, vivos et roderet ungues. 

Saepe stilum vertas, iterum quae digna legi sint, 
Scripturus ; neque, te ut miretur turba, labores, 
Contentus paucis lectoribus. An tua demens 
Vilibus in ludis dictari carmina malis 1 75 



170 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Non ego ; nam satis est equitem mihi plaudere, ut audax, 

Contemtis aliis, explosa Arbuscula dixit. 

Men' moveat cimex Pantilius ? aut cruciet, quod 

Vellicet absentem Demetrius 1 aut quod ineptus 

Fannius Hermogenis laedat conviva Tigelli ? 80 

Plotius et Varius, Maecenas Virgiliusque, 

Valgius, et probet haec Octavius optimus, atque 

Fuscus, et haec utinam Viscoium laudet uterque ! 

A.mbitione relegata, te dicere possum, 

Pollio, te, Messala, tuo cum fratre, simulque 85 

Vos, Bibule et Servi ; simul his te ; candide Furni, 

Compluresque alios, doctos ego quos et amicos 

Prudens praetereo, quibus haec, sint qualiacunque, 

Arridere velim ; doliturus, si placeant spe 

Deterius nostra. Demetri, teque, Tigelli, 90 

Discipularum inter jubeo plorare cathedras. 

T, puer, atque meo citus haec subscribe libello. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

SERMON UM 

LIBER SECUNDUS. 



Satira I. 

IN aUENDAM, aUI ACTIONEM DE FAMOSIS 
LIBELLIS HORATIO INTENTABAT. 

Horatius. 

Sunt quibus in Satira videor nimis acer, et ultra 
Legem tendere opus ; sine nervis altera, quidquid 
Composui, pars esse putat, similesque meorum 
Mille die versus deduci posse. Trebati, 
Quid faciam, praescribe. 

Trebati us. 

Gluiescas. 

Horatius. 

Ne faciam, inquis, 



Omnino versus % 



Trebatius. 

Aio. 
18 



172 



ft. HORATII FLACCI 



Horatius. 



Peream male, si non 
Optimum erat ; verum nequeo dormire. 

Trebatius. 

Ter uncti 
Transnanto Tiberim, somno quibus est opus alto, 
Irriguumque mero sub noctem corpus habento. 
Aut si tantus amor scribendi te rapit, aude 10 

Caesaris invicti res dicere, multa laborum 
Praemia laturus. 

Horatius. 

Cupidum, pater optime, vires 
Deficiunt ; neque enim quivis horrentia pilis 
Agmina, nee fracta pereuntes cuspide Gallos, 
Aut labentis equo describat vulnera Parthi. 15 

Trebatius. 

Attamen et justum poteras et scribere fortem, 
Scipiadam ut sapiens Lucilius. 

Horatius. 

Haud mihi deero, 
&uum res ipsa fcret ; nisi dextro tempore Flacci 
Verba per attentam non ibunt Caesaris aurem ; 
Cui male si palpere, recalcitret undique tutus. 20 

Trebatius. 

Q,uanto rectius hoc, quam tristi laedere versu 
Pantolabum scurram Nomentanumque nepotem ! 
duum sibi quisque timet, quamquam est intactus, et odit. 

Horatius. 

Quid faciam ? Sal tat Milonius, ut semel icto 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 1. 173 

Accessit fervor capiti numerusque lucernis. 25 

Castor gaudet equis ; ovo prognatus eodem 

Pugms ; quot capitum vivunt, totidem studiorum 

Millia : me pedibus delectat claudere verba, 

Lucili ritu, nostrum melioris utroque. 

Ille velut fidis arcana sodalibus olim 30 

Credebat libris ; neque, si male cesserat, unquam 

Decurrens alio, neque, si bene : quo fit, ut omnis 

Votiva pateat veluti descripta tabella 

Vita senis. Sequor hunc, Lucanus an Appulus, anceps : 

Nam Venusinus arat finem sub utrumque, colonus 35 

Missus ad hoc, pulsis, vetus est ut fama, Sabellis, 

Q,uo ne per vacuum Romano incurreret hostis, 

Sive quod Appula gens, seu quod Lucania bellum 

Incuteret violenta. Sed hie stilus haud petet ultro 

Gluemquam animantem ; et me veluti custodiet ensis 40 

Vagina tectus, quern cur destringere coner, 

Tutus ab infestis latronibus 1 O pater et rex 

Jupiter, ut pereat positum robigine telum, 

Nee quisquam noceat cupido mihi pacis ! at ille, 

Qui me commorit, (melius non tangere, clamo) 45 

Flebit, et insignis tota cantabitur urbe. 

Cervius iratus leges minitatur et urnam : 

Canidia, Albutt, quibus est inimica, venenum 

Grande malum Turius, si quid se judice certes. 

Ut, quo quisque valet, suspectos terreat, utque 50 

Imperet hoc natura potens, sic collige mecum 

Dente lupus, comu taurus, petit ; unde, nisi intus 

Monstratum 1 Scaevae vivacem crede nepoti 

Matrem : nil faciet sceleris pia dextera. (Mirum, 

Ut neque calce lupus quemquam, neque dente petit bos.) 55 

Sed mala toilet anum vitiato rnelle cicuta. 

Ne longum faciam, seu me tranquilla senectus 

Exspectat, seu mors atris circumvolat alis, 

Dives, inops, Romae, seu, fors itajusserit, exsul, 

Quisquis erit vitae, scribam, color. 



174 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Trebatius. 

O puer, ut sis 60 

Vitalis, metuo, et majorum ne quis amicus 
Frigore te feriat. 

Horatius. 

Q,uid 1 quum est Lucilius ausus 
Primus in hunc opens componere carmina morem,- 
Detrahere et pellem, nitidus qua quisque per ora 
Cederet, introrsum turpis ; num Laelius, aut qui 65 

Duxit ad oppressa meritum Carthagine nomen, 
Ingenio offensi 1 aut laeso doluere Metello, 
Famosisque Lupo cooperto versibus % Atqui 
Primores populi arripuit, populumque tributim ; 
Scilicet uni aequus virtuti atque ejus amicis. 70 

Gluin ubi se a vulgo et scena in secreta remorant 
Virtus Scipiadae et mitis sapientia Laeli, 
Nugari cum illo et discincti ludere, donee 
Decoqueretur olus, soliti. Quidquid sum ego, quamvis 
Infra Lucili censum ingeniumque, tamen me 75 

Cum magnis vixisse in vita fatebitur usque 
Invidia, et fragili quaerens, iilidere dentem 
Offendet solido ; nisi quid tu, docte Trebati, 
Dissentis. 

Trebatius. 

Equidem nihil hinc difnndere possum ; 
Sed tamen ut monitus caveas, ne forte negoti SO 

Incutiat tibi quid sanctarum inscitia legum : 
Si mala condiderit in quern quis carmina, jus est 
Judiciumque. 

Horatius. 

Esto, si quis mala • sed bona si quis 
Judice condiderit laudatus Caesare 1 si quis 
Opprobriis dignum laceraverit, integer ipse ? 85 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 2. 175 

Trebatius. 
Solventur risu tabulae ; tu missus abibis. 

Satira II. 

IN VITAE URBANAE LUXURIAM ET INEPTIAS. 

Gluae virtus, et quanta, boni, sit vivere parvo, 

(Nee meus hie sermo est, sed quern praecepit Ofellus 

Rusticus, abnormis sapiens, crassaque Minerva) 

Discite, non inter lances mensasque nitentes, 

Gluum stupet insanis acies fulgoribus, et quum 5 

Acclinis falsis animus meliora recusat ; 

Verum hie impransi mecum disquirite. — Cur hoc ? 

Dicam, si potero. Male verum examinat omnis 

Corruptus judex. 

Leporem sectatus, equove 
Lassus ab indomito, vel, si Romana fatigat 10 

Militia assuetum graecari, seu pila velox, 
Molliter austerum studio fallente laborem, 
Seu te discus agit ; pete cedentem aera disco : 
Gluum labor extuderit fastidia, siccus, inanis, 
Sperne cibum vilem ; nisi Hymettia mella Falerno 15 

Ne biberis diluta. Foris est promus, et atrum 
Defendens pisces hiemat mare : cum sale panis 
Latrantem stomachum bene leniet. Unde putas ? aut 
Glut partum 1 Non in caro nidore voluptas 
Summa, sed in te ipso est. Tu pulmentaria quaere 20 

Sudando : pinguem vitiis albumque neque ostrea 
Nee scarus aut poterit peregrina juvare lagois. 
Vix tamen eripiam, posito pavone, velis quin 
Hoc potius, quam gallina, tergere palatum, 
Corruptus vanis rerum, quia veneat auro 25 

Rara avis et picta pandat spectacula Cauda ; 
Tanquam ad rem attineat quidquam. Num vesceris ista, 
18* 



176 0.. HORATII FLACC1 

Q,uam laudas, pluma ? cocto num adest honor idem 1 

Came tamen quamvis distat nihil hac magis ilia, 

Imparibus formis deceptum te patet : esto. 30 

Unde datum sentis, lupus hie Tiberinus an alto 

Captus hiet % pontesne inter jactatus an amnis 

Ostia sub Tusci ? laudas insane trilibrem 

Mullum, in singula quern minuas pulmenta necesse est. 

Ducit te species, video : quo pertinet ergo 35 

Proceros odisse lupos 1 quia scilicet illis 

Majorem natura modum dedit, his breve pondus, 

[Jejunus raro stomachus vulgaria temnit.] 

Porrectum magno magnum spectare catino 

Vellem, ait Harpyiis gula digna rapacibus : at vos 40 

Praesentes Austri coquite horum opsonia. Q,uamquam 

Putet aper rhombusque recens, mala copia quando 

Aegrum sollicitat stomachum, quum rapula plenus 

Atque acidas mavult inulas. Necdum omnis abacta 

Paupenes epulis regum : nam vilibus ovis 45 

Nigrisque est oleis hodie locus. Haud ita pridem 

Gallont praeconis erat acipensere mensa 

Infamis : quid 1 turn rhombos minus aequora alebant ? 

Tutus erat rhombus, tutoque ciconia nido, 

Donee vos auctor docuit praetorius. Ergo 50 

Si quis nunc mergos suaves edixerit assos, 

Parebit pravi docilis Romana juventus. 

Sordidus a tenui victu distabit, Ofello 
Judice ; nam frustra vitium vitaveris illud 
Si te alio pravum detorseris. Avidienus, 55 

Cui Canis ex vero ductum cognomen adhaeret, 
Quinquennes oleas est et silvestria corna, 
Ac nisi mutatum parcit defundere vinum, et 
Cujus odorem olei nequeas perferre, (licebit 
Ille repotia, natales, aliosve dierum 60 

Festos albatus celebret) cornu ipse bilibri 
Caulibus instillat, veteris non parcus aceti. 

Q,uali igitur victu sapiens utetur ? et horum 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 2. 177 

Utrum imitabitur 1 Hac urguet lupus, hac canis, aiunt. 
Mundus erit, qui non offendat sordidus, atque 65 

In neutram partem cultus miser. Hie neque servis, 
Albuci senis exemplo, dum munia didit, 
Saevus erit ; neque sic ut simplex Naevius unctam 
Convivis praebebit aquam ; vitium hoc quoque magnum. 

Accipe nunc, victus tenuis quae quantaque secum 70 

Afferat. Inprimis valeas bene : nam variae res 
Ut noceant homini, credas, memor illius escae, 
Quae simplex olim tibi sederit. At simul assis 
Miscueris elixa, simul concliylia turdis : 
Dulcia se in bilem vertent, stomachoque tumultum 75 

Lenta feret pituita. Vides, ut pallidus omnis 
Coena desurgat dubia 1 Cluin corpus onustum 
Hestemis vitiis animum quoque praegravat una, 
Atque affigit humo divinae particulam aurae. 
Alter, ubi dicto citius'curata sopori 80 

Membra dedit, vegetus praescripta ad munia surgit. 
Hie tamen ad melius potent transcurrere quondam, 
Sive diem festum rediens advexerit annus, 
Seu recreare volet tenuatum corpus ; ubique 
Accedent anni, tractari mollius aetas 85 

Imbecilla volet. Tibi quidnam accedet ad istam, 
Gluam puer et validus praesumis, mollitiem, seu 
Dura valetudo incident seu tarda senectus % 

Rancidum aprum antiqui laudabant, non quia nasus 
Illis nullus erat, sed, credo, hac mente, quod hospes 90 

Tardius adveniens vitiatum commodius, quam 
Integrum edax dominus consumeret. Hos utinam inter 
Heroas natum tellus me prima tulisset ! 

Das aliquid famae, quae carmine gratior aurem 
Occupat humanam 1 grandes rhombi patinaeque 95 

Grande ferunt una cum damno dedecus. Adde 
Iratum patruum, vicinos, te tibi iniquum, 
Et frustra mortis cupidum, quum deerit egenti 
As, laquei pretium. Jure, inquit, Trauzius istis 



178 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Jurgatur verbis ; ego vectigalia magna 100 

Divitiasque habeo tribus amplas regibus. Ergo, 

Quod superat, non est melius quo insumere possis 1 

Cur eget indignus quisquam, te divite 1 quare 

Templa ruunt antiqua deum '? cur, improbe, carae 

Non aliquid patriae tanto emetiris acervo % 105 

Uni nimifum tibi recte semper erunt res ! 

O magnus posthac inimicis risus ! Uterne 

Ad casus dubios fldet sibi certius 1 hie, qui 

Pluribus assuerit mentem corpusque superburn, 

An qui, contentus parvo metuensque futuri, 1 10 

In pace, ut sapiens, aptarit idonea bello % 

Quo magis his credas ; puer hunc ego parvus Ofellum 
Integris opibus novi non latius usum, 
Q,uam nunc accisis. Videas metato in agello 
Cum pecore et gnatis fortem mercede colonum, 115 

Non ego, narrantem, temere edi luce profesta 
Quidquam praeter olusfumosae cum pede pernae ; 
Ac mihi sen longum jiost tempus venerat hospes, 
Sive operum vacuo gratus conviva per imbrem 
Vicinus, bene erat, non piscibus urbe petitis, 120 

Sedpullo atque haedo : turn pensilis uva secundas 
Et mix omabat mensas cum duplice ficu. 
Post hoc ludus erat. culpa potare magistra : 
Ac venerata Ceres, itaculmo surgeret alto, 
Explicuit vino contractae seria frontis. 125 

Saeviat atque novos mov eat for tuna tumultus ; 
Quantum hinc imminuet ? quanto aut ego parcius, aut vos, 
O pueri, nituistis, ut hue novus incola venit ? 
Nam propriae telluris herum natura neque ilium, 
Nee me, nee quemquam statuit : nos expidit ille ; 130 

Ilium aut nequities aut vafri inscitia juris, 
Postremum expellet certe vivacior heres. 
Nunc ager Umbreni sub nomine, nuper Ofelli 
Dictus, erit nulli proprius, sed cedit in usum 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 3. 179 

Nunc mihi, nunc alii. Quocirca vivite fortes, 135 

Fortiaque adversis opponite pectora rebus. 

Satira III. 

OMNES INSANIRE, ETIAM IPSOS STOICOS, 
DUM HOC DOCENT. 

Damasippus. 

Sic raro scribis, ut toto non quater anno 

Membranam poscas, scriptorum quaeque retexens, 

Iratus tibi, quod vini somnique benignus 

Nil dignum sermone canas. Quid net 1 Ab ipsis 

Saturnalibus hue fugisti. Sobrius ergo 5 

Die aliquid dignum promissis : incipe. Nil est. 

Culpantur frustra calami, immeritusque laborat 

Iratis natus paries dis atque poetis. 

Atqui vultus erat multa et praeclara minantis, 

Si vacuum tepido cepisset villula tecto. 10 

Gluorsum pertinuit stipare Platona Menandro ? 

Eupolin, Archilocho, comites educere tantos ? 

Invidiam placare paras, virtute relic ta 1 

Contemnere miser. Vitanda est irnproba Siren 

Desidia ; aut quidquid vita meliore parasti, 15 

Ponendum aequo animo. 

Horatius. 

Di te, Damasippe, deaeque 
Verum ob consilium donent tonsore. Sed unde 
Tarn bene me nosti 1 

Damasippus. 

Postquam omnis res mea Janum 
Ad medium fracta est, aliena negotia euro, 
Excussus propriis. Olim nam quaerere amabam, 20 



180 Q_. HORATII FLACCI 

duo vafer ille pedes lavisset Sisyphus aere, 

Quid sculptum infabre, quid fusum durius esset : 

Callidus huic signo ponebam millia centum : 

Hortos egregiasque domos mercarier unus 

Cum lucro noram ; unde frequentia Mercuriale 25 

Imposuere mini cognomen compita. 

Horatius. 

Novi, 
Et miror morbi purgatum te illius. 

Damasippus. 

Atqui 
Emovit veterem mire novus, ut solet, in cor 
Trajecto lateris miseri capitisque dolore, 
Ut lethargicus hie, quum fit pugil, et medicum urguet. 30 

Horatius 

Dum ne quid simile huic, esto ut libet. 

Damasippus. 

O bone, ne te 
Frustrere ; insanis et tu stultique prope omnes, 
Si quid Stertinius veri crepat ; unde ego mira 
Descripsi docilis praecepta haec, tempore quo me 
Solatus jussit sapientem pascere barbam, 35 

Atque a Fabricio non tristem ponte reverti. 
Nam male re gesta quum vellem mittere operto 
Me capite in flumen, dexter stetit, et, Cave faxis 
Te quidquam indignum : pudor, inquit, te malus angit, 
Insanos qui inter vereare insanus haberi. 40 

Primum nam inquiram, quid sit furere : hoc si erit in te 
Solo, nil verbi, pereas quin fortiter, addam. 
Gluem mala stultitia, et quemcunque inscitia veri 
Caecum agit, insanum Chrysippi porticus et grex 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 3. 181 

Autumat. Haec populos, haec magnos formula reges, 45 

Excepto sapiente, tenet. Nunc accipe, quare 

Desipiaut omnes aeque ac tu, qui tibi nomen 

Insano posuere. Velut silvis, ubi passim 

Palantes error certo de tramite pellit, 

Ille sinistrorsum, hie dextrorsum abit ; unus utrisque 50 

Error, sed variis illudit partibus ; hoc te 

Crede modo insanum ; nihilo sapientior ille, 

Q,ui te deridet, caudam trahat. Est genus unum 

Stultitiae nihilum metuenda timentis, ut ignes, 

Ut rupes, fluviosque in campo obstare queratur : 55 

Alterum et huic varum et nihilo sapientius, ignes 

Per medios fluviosque mentis ; clamet arnica, 

Mater, honesta soror, cum cognatis pater, uxor : 

Hie fossa est ingens hie rupes maxima, serva ! 

Non magis audierit, quam Fufius ebrius olim, 60 

Q,uum Ilionam edormit, Catienis mille ducentis, 

JWater, te appello, clamantibus. Huic ego vulgus 

Errori similem cunctum insanire docebo. 

Insanit veteres statuas Damasippus emendo ; 

Integer est mentis Damasippi creditor 1 esto. 65 

Accipe quod nunquam reddas mihi, si tibi dicam, 

Tune insanus eris, si acceperis, an magis excors, 

Rejecta praeda, quam praesens Mercurius fert % 

Scribe decern a Nerio : non est satis : adde Cicutae 

Nodosi tabulas centum ; mille adde catenas : 70 

EfTugiet tamen haec seeleratus vincula Proteus. 

Gluum rapies in jus malis ridentem alienis, 

Fiet aper, modo avis, modo saxum, et, quum volet, arbor. 

Si male rem gerere insani, contra bene sani est, 

Putidius multo cerebrum est, mihi crede, Perilli 75 

Dictantis, quod tu nunquam rescribere possis. 

Audire atque togam jubeo componere, quisquis 
Ambitione mala aut argenti pallet amore ; 
Gtuisquis luxuria tristique superstitione, 



182 Q,. HOR.ATH FLACCI 

Aut alio mentis morbo calet ; hue propius me, 80 

Dum doceo insanire omnes vos, ordine adite. 

Dan da est ellebori multo pars maxima avaris : 
Nescio an Anticyram ratio illis destinet omnem. 
Heredes Staberi summam incidere sepulcro ; 
Ni sic fecissent, gladiatorum dare centum 85 

Damnati populo paria, atque epulum arbitrio Arri et 
Frumenti quantum metit Africa. Sive ego prave 
Seu rede hoc volui, ne sis patruus mihi. Credo 
Hoc Staberi prudentem animum vidisse. Quid ergo 
Sensit, quum summam patrimoni inscalpere saxo 90 

Heredes voluit ? Quoad vixit, credidit ingens 
Pauperiem vitium, et cavit nihil acrius ; ut si 
Forte minus locuples uno quadrante perisset, 
Ipse videretur sibi nequior. Omnis enim res, 
Virtus, fama, decus, divina humanaque pulchris 95 

Divitiis parent ; quas qui construxerit, ille 
Clarus erit, fortis, Justus. Sapiensne ? Etiam ; et rex, 
Et quidquid volet. Hoc, veluti virtute paratum, 
Speravit magnae laudi fore. Quid simile isti 
Graecus Aristippus, qui servos projicere aurum 100 

In media jussit Libya, quia tardius irent 
Propter onus segnes ? Uter est insanior horum ? 
Nil agit exemplum, litem quod lite resolvit. 

Si quis emat citharas, emtas comportet in unum, 
Nee studio citharae nee Musae deditus ulli ; 105 

Si scalpra et formas non sutor ; nautica vela 
Aversus mercaturis ; delirus et amens 
Undique dicatur merito. Glut discrepat istis, 
Qui nummos aurumque recondit, nescius uti 
Compositis, metuensque velut contingere sacrum ? 110 

Si quis ad ingentem frumenti semper acervum 
Projectus vigilet cum longo fuste, neque illinc 
Audeat esuriens dominus contingere granum, 
Ac potius foliis parous vescatur amaris ; 
Sipositis intus Chii veterisque Falerni 115 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 3. 183 

Mille cadis, nihil est, tercentum millibus, acre 

Potet acetum ; age, si et stramentis incubet unde- 

Octoginta annos natus, cui stragula vestis, 

Blattarum ac tinearum epulae, pulrescat in area : 

Nimirum insanus paucis videatur, eo quod 120 

Maxima pars hominum morbo jactatur eodem. 

Filius aut etiam haec libertus ut ebibat heres, 
Dis inimice senex, custodis 1 ne tibi desit ? 
Gluantulum. enim summae curtabit quisque dierum, 
Unguere si caules oleo meliore, caputque 125 

Coeperis impexa foedum porrigine 1 Q.uare, 
Si quidvis satis est, perjuras, surripis, aufers 
Undique 1 tun' sanus 1 Populum si caedere saxis 
Incipias, servosve tuo quos aere pararis, 
Insanum te omnes pueri clamentque puellae : 130 

Gluum laqueo uxorem interimis, matremque veneno, 
Incolumi capite es ? Q,uid enim 1 Neque tu hoc facis Argis, 
Nee ferro, ut demens genitricem occidit Orestes 
An tu reris eum occisa insanisse, parente, 
Ac non ante malis dementem actum Furiis, quam 135 

In matris jugulo ferrum tepefecit acutum ? 
Q,uin ex quo habitus male tutae mentis Orestes, 
Nil sane fecit, quod tu reprendere possis : 
Non Pyladen ferro violare aususve sororem est 
Electram : tantum maledicit utrique, vocando 140 

Hanc Furiam, hunc aliud, jussit quod splendida bilis. 

Pauper Opimius argenti positi intus et auri, 
Q,ui Veientanum festis potare diebus 
Campana solitus trulla, vappamque profestis, 
Quondam lethargo grandi est oppressus, ut heres 145 

Jam circum loculos et claves laetus ovansque 
Curreret. Hunc medicus multum celer atque fidelis 
Excitat hoc pacto : mensam poni jubet, atque 
Effundi saccos nummorum, accedere plures 
Ad numerandum : hominem sic erigit ; addit et illud, 150 
Ni tua custodis, avidus jam haec auferet heres. 
19 



184 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

JSIerf vivo ? — Ut vivas igitur, vigila : hoc age : Quid vis ? — 

Deficient inopem venae te, ni cibus atque 

Ingenua accedit stomacho fultura ruenti. 

Tu cessas ? agedum, sume hoc ptisanarium oryzae. 155 

Quanti emioe?— Parvo. — Quanti ergo? — Octuss\bus.—Eheu! 

Quid refert, morbo an furtis pereamque rapinis ? 

Gluisnam igitur sanus?— Qui non stultus.— Q,uid avarus? — 
Stultus et insanus. — Q,uid 1 si quis non sit avarus, 
Continuo sanus 1 — Minime. — Cur, Stoice 1 — Dicam. 160 
Non est cardiacus, Craterum dixisse putato, 
Hie aeger. Recte est igitur surgetque ? Negabit, 
Gluod latus aut renes morbo tentantur acuto. 
Non est perjurus neque sordidus : immolet aequis 
Hie porcum Laribus ; verum ambitiosus et audax : 165 

Naviget Anticyram. Quid enim differt, barathrone 
Dories quidquid habes, an nunquam utare paratis ? 
Servius Oppidius Canusi duo praedia, dives 
Antiquo censu, gnatis divisse duobus 

Fertur, et haec moriens pueris dixisse vocatis 170 

Ad lectum : Postquam te talos, Jlule, nucesque 
Ferre sinu laxo, donare et ludere vidi, 
Te, Tiberi, numerare, cams abscondere tristem : 
Extimui, ne vos ageret vesania discors, 

Tu Nomentanum, tu ne sequerere Cicutam. 175 

Quare pet" divos oratus uterque Penates, 
Tu cave ne minuas, tu, ne majus facias id, 
Quod satis esse putat pater, et natura coercct 
Praeterea ne vos titillet gloria, jure- 

Jurando obstringam ambo : uter Jledilis fueritve 180 

Vestrum Praetor, is intestabilis et sacer esto. 
In cicere atque faba bona tu perdasque lupinis, 
Latus ut in circo spatiere, et aeneus ut stes, 
Nudus agris, nudus nummis, insane, paternis ? 
Scilicet ut plausus, quosfert Agrippa, feras tu, 185 

Astuta ingenuum vidpes imitata leonem ? 

Ne quis humasse velit Ajacem, Atrida, vetas cur 1 — 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 3. 185 

Rex sum. — Nil ultra quaero plebeius. — Et aequam 

Rem imperito ; at, si cui videor non Justus, inulto 

Dicere, quod sentit, permitto. — Maxime regum, 190 

Di tibi dent capta classem reducere Troja. 

Ergo consulere et mox respondere licebit 1 — 

Conside. — Cur Ajax, heros ab Achille secundus, 

Putescit, toties servatis clarus Achivis 1 

Gaudeat ut populus Priami Priamusque inhumato, 195 

Per quern tot juvenes patrio caruere sepulcro 1 — 

JVLille ovium insanus morti dedit, inclytum Ulixen 

Et Menelaum una mecum se occidere damans. — 

Tu quum pro vitula statuis dulcem Aulide natam 

Ante aras, spargisque mola caput, improbe, salsa, 200 

Rectum animi servas ? Quorsum insanus ? Quid enim Ajax 

Fecit 1 Quum stravit ferro pecus, abstinuit vim 

Uxore et gnato ; mala multa precatus Atridis 

Non ille aut Teucrum aut ipsum violavit Ulixen. — 

Verum ego, ut haerentes adverso litore naves 205 

Eriperem, prudens placavi sanguine divos. — 

Nempe tuo, furiose. — Meo, sed nonfuriosus. — 

Qui species alias veri scelerisque, tumultu 

Permixtas, capiet, commotus habebitur ; atque 

Stultitiane erret, nihilum distabit, an ira. 210 

Ajax quum immeritos occidit, desipit, agnos ; 

Q,uum prudens scelus ob titulos admittis inanes, 

Stas animo 1 et purum est vitio tibi, quum tumidum est, cor 

Si quis lectica nitidam gestare amet agnam, 

Huic vestem ut gnatae pater, ancillas paret, aurum, 215 

Rufam aut Pusillam appellet, fortique marito 

Destinet uxorem : interdicto huic omne adimat jus 

Praetor, et ad sanos abeat tutela propinquos. 

Quid % si qui gnatam pro muta devovet agna, 

Integer est animi ? Ne dixeris. Ergo ibi parva 220 

Stultitia, haec summa est insania : qui sceleratus, 

Et furiosus erit ; quern cepit vitrea fama, 

Hunc circumtonuit gaudens Bellona cruentis. 



18G Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Nunc age, luxuriam et Nomentanam arripe mecum. 
Vincet enim stultos ratio insanire nepotes. 225 

Hie simul accepit patrimoni mille talenta, 
Edicit, piscator uti, pomarius, auceps, 
Unguentarius ac Tusci turba impia vici, 
Cum scums fartor, cum Velabro omne macellum 
Mane domum veniant. Q,uid turn 1 Venere frequentes. 230 
Verba facit leno : Quidquid mihi, quidquid et horum 
Cuique domi est, id crede tuum et vel nunc pete, vel eras. 
Accipe, quid contra juvenis respondent aequus : 
In nivc Lucana dormis ocreatus, ut aprum 
Coenem ego ; tu pisces hiberno ex aequore vellis ; 235 

Segnis ego, indignus qui tantum possideam : aufer : 
Sume tibi decies : tibi tantundem ; tibi triplex, 
Unde uxor media currit de node vocata. 

Filius Aesopi detractam ex aure Metellae, 
Scilicet ut decies solidum obsorberet, aceto 240 

Diluit insignem baccam ; qui sanior, ac si 
IUud idem in rapidum flumen jaceretve cloacam ? 
Gluinti progenies Arri, par nobile fratrum, 
Nequitia et nugis, pravorum et amore gemellum, 
Xuscinias soliti impenso prandere coemtas. 245 

duorsum abeant % Sani ut creta, an carbone notandi % 

Aedificare casas, plostello adjungere mures, 
Ludere par impar, equitare in arundine longa, 
Si quern delectet barbatum, amentia verset. 
Si puerilius his ratio esse evincet amare, 250 

Nee quidquam differre, utrumne in pulvere, trimus 
Uuale prius, ludas opus, an meretricis amore 
Sollicitus plores : quaero, faciasne quod olim 
Mutatus Polemon % ponas insignia morbi, 
Fasciolas, cubital, focalia, potus ut ille 255 

Dicitur ex collo furtim carpsisse coronas, 
Postquam est impransi correptus voce magistri 1 
Porrigis irato puero quum poma, recusat : 
Sume, Catelle : negat ; si non des, optat. Amator 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 3. 187 

Exclusus qui distat, agit ubi secum, eat, an non, 260 

Quo rediturus erat non arcessitus, et haeret 

Invisis foribus ? Ne nunc, quum me vocat ultro, 

Accedam ? an potius mediter finire dolores ? 

Exclusit, revocat : redeam ? Non, si obsecret. Ecce 

Servus, non paullo sapientior : here, quae res 265 

Nee modum habet neque consilium, ratione modoque 

Tractari non vult. In amore haec sunt mala : bellum, 

Pax rursum. Haec si quis tempestatis prope ritu 

JVLobilia, et caeca jluitantia sorte, labor et 

Reddere certa sibi, nihilo plus explicet, ac si 270 

Insanire paret certa ratione modoque. 

Quid ? quum Picenis excerpens semina pomis 

Gaudes, si camaram percusti forte, penes te es ? 

Quid ? quum balba feris annoso verba palato, 

Aedificante casas qui sanior ? Adde cruorem 275 

Stultitiae, atque ignem gladio scrutare modo, inquam. 

Hellade percussa, Marius quum praecipitat se, 

Cerritus fuit ? an commotae crimine mentis 

Absolves hominem, et sceleris damnabis eundem, 

Ex more imponens cognata vocabula rebus ? 280 

Libertinus erat, qui circum compita siccus 
Lautis mane senex manibus currebat, et, Unum, 
(duiddam magnum addens,) unum me surpite morti, 
Dts etenim facile est, orabat ; sanus utrisque 
Auribus atque oculis ; mentem, nisi litigiosus, 2S5 

Exciperet dominus, quum venderet. Hoc quoque vulgus 
Chrysippus ponit fecunda in gente Menent. 
Jupiter, ingentes qui das adimisque dolores, 
Mater ait pueri menses jam quinque cubantis, 
Frigida si puerum quartana reliquerit, illo 290 

JWane die, quo tu indicis jejunia, nudus 
In Tiberi stabit. Casus medicusve levarit 
Aegrum ex praecipiti, mater delira, necabit 
In gelida fixum ripa, febrimque reducet. 
Q,uone malo mentem concussa ? timore deorum. 295 

19* 



188 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Haec mihi Stertinius, sapientum octavus, amico 
Arma dedit, posthac ne compellarer inultus. 
Dixerit insanum qui me, totidem audiet, atque 
Respicere ignoto discet pendentia tergo. 

Horatius. 

Stoi.ce, post damnum sic vendas omnia pluris : 300 

GLuam me stultitiam, quoniam non est genus unum, 
Insanire putas ? ego nam videor mihi sanus. 

Damasippus. 

Gluid ? caput abscissum manibus quum portat Agaue 
Gnati infelicis, sibi turn furiosa videtur ? 

Horatius. 

Stultum me fateor, liceat concedere veris, 305 

Atque etiam insanum : tantum hoc edissere, quo me 
Aegrotare putes animi vitio. 

Damasippus. 

Accipe : primum 
Aedificas, hoc est, longos imitaris, ab imo 
Ad summum totus moduli bipedalis ; et idem 
Corpore majorem rides Turbonis in armis 310 

Spiritum et incessum : qui ridiculus minus illo ? 
An quodcunque facit Maecenas, te quoque verum est, 
Tantum dissimilem et tanto certare minorem % 
Absentis ranae pullis vituli pede pressis, 
Unus ubi efFugit, matri denarrat, ut ingens 315 

Bellua cognatos eliserit. Ilia rogare, 
Gluantane ? num tantum, se inflans, sic magna fuisset ? — 
Major dimidio. — Num tantum % — Gluum magis atque 
Se magis inflaret ; Non, si te ruperis, inquit, 
Par eris. Haec a te non multum abludit imago. 320 

Adde poemata nunc, hoc est, oleum adde camino ; 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 4. 189 

Gluae si quis sanus fecit, sanus facis et tu. 
Non dico horrendam rabiem. 

Horatius. 

Jam desine. 

Damasippus. 

Cultum 
Majorem censu. 

Horatius. 

Teneas, Damasippe, tuis te. 

Damasippus. 
Mille puellarum, puerorum mille furores. 325 

Horatius. 
O major tandem parcas, insane, minori. 

Satira IV. 

LEVES CATILLONES EPICUREAE SECTAE 
DERIDET. 

Horatius. 

Unde et quo Catius 1 

Catius. 

Non est mihi tempus aventi 
Ponere signa novis praeceptis, qualia vincunt 
Pythagoran Anytique reum doctumque Platona. 

Horatius. 

Peccatum fateor, quum te sic tempore laevo 
Interpellarim : sed des veniam bonus, oro. 



190 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Quod si interciderit tibi nunc aliquid, repetes mox, 
Sive est naturae hoc, sive artis, mirus utroque. 

Catius. 

Q,uin id erat curae, quo pacto cuncta tenerem, 
Utpote res tenues, tenui sermone peractas. 

Horatius. 

Ede horninis nomen ; simul et, Romanus an hospes. 10 

Catius. 

Ipsa memor praecepta canam, celabitur auctor. 

Longa quibus facies ovis erit, ilia memento 
Ut succi melioris et ut magis alma rotundis 
Ponere ; namque marem cohibent callosa vitellum. 

Caule suburbano, qui siccis crevit in agris, 1 5 

Dulcior ; irriguo nihil est elutius horto. 

Si vespertinus subito te oppresserit hospes, 
Ne gallina malum response t dura palato, 
Doctus eris vivam musto mersare Falerno ; 
Hoc teneram faciet. 

Pratensibus optima fungis 20 

Natura est ; aliis male creditur. 

Ille salubres 
Aestates peraget, qui nigris prandia moris 
Finiet, ante gravem quae legerit arbore solem. 

Aufidius forti miscebat mella Falerno, 
Mendose, quoniam vacuis committere venis 25 

Nil nisi lene decet ; leni praecordia mulso 
Prolueris melius. 

Si dura morabitur alvus, 
Mitulus et viles pellent obst?.ntia conchae, 
Et lapathi brevis herba, sed albo non sine Coo 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 4. 191 

Lubrica nascentes implent conchyHa lunae ; 30 

Sed non omne mare est generosae fertile testae. 
Murice Baiano melior Lucrina peloris ; 
Ostrea Circeiis, Miseno oriuntur echini ; 
Pectinibus patulis jactat se molle Tarentum. 

Nee sibi coenarum quivis temere arroget artem, 35 

Non prius exacta tenui ratione saporum. 
Nee satis est cara pisces averrere mensa, 
Ignarum quibus est jus aptius, et quibus assis 
Languidus in cubitum jam se conviva reponet. 

Umber et iligna nutritus glande rotundas 40 

Curvet aper lances carnem vitantis inertem : 
Nam Laurens malus est, ulvis et arundine pinguis. 
Vinea summittit capreas non semper edules. 
Fecundae leporis sapiens sectabitur armos. 

Piscibus atque avibus quae natura et foret aetas, 45 

Ante meum nulli patuit quaesita palatum. 

Sunt quorum ingenium nova tantum crustula promit, 
Nequaquam satis in re una consumere curam ; 
Ut si quis solum hoc, mala ne sint vina, laboret, 
duali perfundat pisces securus olivo. 50 

Massica si coelo suppones vino sereno, 
Nocturna, si quid crassi est, tenuabitur aura, 
Et decedet odor nervis inimicus ; at ilia 
Integrum perdunt Hno vitiata saporem. 

Surrentina vafer qui miscet faece Falerna 55 

"Vina, columbino limum bene colligit ovo, 
Quatenus ima petit volvens aliena vitellus. 

Tostis marcentem squillis recreabis et Afra 
Potorem cochlea ; nam lactuca innatat acri 
Post vinum stomacho ; perna magis ac magis hillis 60 

Flagitat immorsus refici : quin omnia malit, 
Gluaecunque immundis fervent allata popinis. 

Est operae pretium duplicis pernoscere juris 
Naturam. Simplex e dulci constat olivo, 
Gluod pingui miscere mero muriaque decebit, 65 



192 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Non alia quam qua Byzantia putuit orca. 
Hoc ubi confusum sectis inferbuit herbis, 
Corycioque croco sparsum stetit, insuper addes 
Pressa Venafranae quod bacca remisit olivae. 

Picenis cedunt pomis Tiburtia succo ; 70 

Nam facie praestant. Venucula convenit ollis ; 
Rectius Albanam fumo duraveris uvam. 
Hanc ego cum malis, ego faecem primus et halec, 
Primus et invenior piper album, cum sale riigro 
Incretum, puris circumposuisse catillis. 75 

Immane est vitium, dare millia terna macello, 
Angustoque vagos pisces urguere catino. 

Magna movet stomacho fastidia, seu puer unctis 
Tractavit calicem manibus, dum furta ligurrit, 
Sive gravis veteri craterae limus adhaesit. HO 

Vilibus in scopis, in mappis, in scobe, quantus 
Consistit sumtus 1 neglectis, flagitium ingens. 
Ten' lapides varios lutulenta radere palma, 
Et Tyrias dare circum illota toralia vestes, 
Oblitum, quanto curam sumtumque minorem 85 

Haec habeant, tanto reprendi justius illis, 
Quae nisi divitibus nequeant contingere mensis % 

Horatius. 

Docte Cati, per amicitiam divosque rogatus, 

Ducere me auditum, perges quocunque, memento. 

Nam quamvis memori referas mihi pectore cuncta, 90 

Non tamen interpres tantundem juveris. Adde 

Vultum habitumque hominis ; quem tu vidisse beatus 

Non magni pendis, quia contigit ; at mihi cura 

Non mediocris inest, fontes ut adire remotos, 

Atque haurire queam vitae praecepta beatae. 95 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 5 193 

Satira V. 
IN CAPTATORES ET HEREDIPETAS. 

Ulysses. 

Hoc quoque, Tiresia, praeter narrata petenti 
Responde, quibus amissas reparare queam res 
Artibus atque modis. Quid rides 1 

Tiresias. 

Jamne doloso 
Non satis est Ithacam revehi, patriosque penates 
Adspicere ? 

Ulysses. 

O nulli quidquam mentite, vides ut 5 

Nudus inopsque domum redeam, te vate, neque illic 
Aut apotheca procis intacta est, aut pecus. Atqui 
Et genus et virtus, nisi cum re, vilior alga est. 

Tiresias. 

Quando pauperiem, missis ambagibus, horres, 

Accipe, qua ratione queas ditescere. Turdus 10 

Sive aliud privum dabitur tibi, devolet illuc, 

Res ubi magna nitet, domino sene ; dulcia poma, 

Et quoscunque feret cultus tibi fundus honores, 

Ante Larem gustet venerabilior Lare dives ; 

Glui quamvis perjurus erit, sine gente, cruentus 15 

Sanguine fraterno, fugitivus ; ne tamen illi 

Tu comes exterior, si postulet, ire recuses. 



194 Q, HORATII FLACCI 

Ulysses. 

Utne tegam spurco Damae latus ? haud ita Trojae 
Me gessi, certans semper melioribus. 

Tiresias. 

Ergo 
Pauper eris. 

Ulysses. 

Fortem hoc animum tolerare jubebo ; 20 

Et quondam majora tuli. Tu protinus, unde 
Divitias aerisque ruam, die augur, acervos. 

Tiresias. 

Dixi equidem et dico. Captes astutus ubique 

Testamenta senum, neu, si vafer unus et alter 

Insidiatorem praeroso fugerit hamo, 25 

Aut spem deponas aut artem illusus omittas. 

Magna minorve foro si res certabitur olim, 

Vivet uter locuples sine gnatis, improbus, ultro 

Q,ui meliorem audax vocet in jus, illius esto 

Defensor : fama civem causaque priorem 30 

Sperne, domi si gnat us erit fecundave conjux. 

Quinte, puta, aut Publi (gaudent praenomine molles 

Auriculae) tibi me virtus tua fecit amicum ; 

Jus anceps novi, causas defendere possum ; 

Eripiet quivis gcuIos citius mihi, quam te 35 

Contemtum cassa nuce pauperet : haec meet cura est, 

JVe quid tu perdas, neu sisjocus. Ire domum atque 

Pelliculam curare jube : fi cognitor ipse. 

Persta atque obdura, seu rubra Canicula findet 

Infantes statuas, seu pingui tentus omaso 40 

Furius bibernas cana nive conspuet Alpes. 

Nome vides, aliquis cubito stantem prope tangens 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 5. 195 

Inquiet, ut patiens ! ut amicis aphis ! ut acer ! 

Plures annabunt thunni, et cetaria crescent. 

Si cui praeterea validus male filius in re 45 

Praeclara sublatus aletur ; ne manifestum 

Caelibis obsequium nudet te, leniter in spem 

Arrepe officios us, ut et scribare secundus 

Heres, et, si quis casus puerum egerit Oreo, 

In vacuum venias : perraro haec alea fallit. 50 

Qui testamentum tradet tibi cunque legendum, 

Abnuere et tabulas a te removere memento, 

Sic tamen ut limis rapias, quid prima secundo 

Cera velit versu ; solus multisne coheres, 

Velocipercurre oculo. Plerumque recoctus 55 

Scriba ex Quinqueviro corvum deludet hiantem, 

Captatorque dabit risus Nasica Corano. 

Ulysses. 

Num furis an prudens ludis me, obscura canendo r t 

Tiresias. 

Laertiade, quidquid dicam, aut erit aut non : 

Divinare etenim magnus mihi donat Apollo. 60 

Ulysses. 

Quid tamen ista velit sibi fabula, si licet, ede. 

Tiresias. 

Tempore quo juvenis Parthis horrendus, ab alto 

Demissum genus Aenea, tellure marique 

Magnus erit, forti nubet procera Corano 

Filia Nasicae, metuentis reddere soldum. 65 

Turn gener hoc faciet ; tabulas socero dabit, atque 

Ut legat orabit. Multum Nasica negatas 

Accipiet tandem, et tacitus leget, invenietque 

Nil sibi legatum praeter plorare suisque. 



196 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Illud ad haec juDeo : mulier si forte dolosa 70 

Libertusve senem delirum temperet, illis 
Accedas socius ; laudes, lauderis ut absens. 
Adjuvat hoc quoque, sed vincit longe prius, ipsum 
Expugnare caput. Scribet mala carmina vecors % 
Laudato. Scortator erit 1 cave te roget ; ultro 75 

Penelopam facilis potion trade. 

Ulysses. 

Putasne, 
Perduci poterit tam frugi tamque pudica, 
Gluam nequiere proci recto depellere cursu ? 

Tiresias. 

Venit enim magno : donandi parca juventus ; 

Nee tantum Veneris, quantum studiosa culinae 80 

Sic tibi Penelope frugi est : quae si semel uno 

De sene gustarit, tecum partita lucellum, 

Ut cams a corio nunquam absterrebitur uncto. 

Me sene, quod clicam, factum est. Anus improba Thebis 

Ex testamento sic est elata : cadaver 85 

Unctum oleo largo nudis humeris tulit heres : 

Scilicet elabi si posset mortua : credo, 

Q,uod nimium institerat viventi. Cautus adito, 

Neu desis operae neve immoderatus abundes. 

Difficilem et morosum offendes garrulus : ultro 90 

Non etiam sileas. Davus sis comicus ; atque 

Stes capite obstipo, multum similis metuenti. 

Obsequio grassare : mone, si increbuit aura, 

Cautus uti velet carum caput : extrahe turba 

Oppositis humeris : aurem substringe loquaci. 95 

Importunus amat laudari 1 -donee, Ohe jam ! 

Ad coelum manibus sublatis dixerit, urgue ; et 

Crescentem tumidis infla sermonibus utrem. 

Q,uum te servitio longo curaque levarit, 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 6. 197 

Et certum vigilans, Quartae esto pmtis Ulixes, 100 

Audieris, heres : Ergo nunc Dama sodalis 
Nusquam est ? unde mihi tarn fortem tamque Jidelem ? 

Sparge subinde, et, si paulum potes illacrimare. Est 
Gaudia prodentem vultum celare. Sepulcrum 
Permissum arbitrio sine sordibus exstme : funus 105 

Egregie factum laudet vicinia. Si quis 
Forte coheredum senior male tussiet, huic tu 
Die, ex parte tua, seu fundi sive domus sit 
Emtor, gaudentem nummo te addicere. Sed me 
Imperiosa trab.it Proserpina : vive valeque. 110 

Satira VI. 

HORATII VOTUM. 

Hoc erat in votis : modus agri non ita magnus, 

Hortus ubi, et tecto vicinus jugis aquae fons, 

Et paulum silvae super his foret. Auctius atque 

Di melius fecere : bene est : nil amplius oro, 

Maia nate, nisi ut propria haec mihi munera faxis. 5 

Si neque majorem feci ratione mala rem, 

Nee sum facturus vitio culpave minorem ; 

Si veneror stultus horum nihil, O si angulus ille 

Proximus accedat, qui nunc denormat agellum ! 

O si urnam argentifors quae mihi monstret, ut illi } 10 

Thesauro invento qui mercenarius agrum 

Ilium, ipsum mercatus aravit, dives amico 

Hercule ! Si, quod adest, gratum juvat : hac prece te oro, 

Pingue pecus domino facias et cetera praeter 

Ingenium ; utque soles, custos mihi maximus adsis. 15 

Ergo ubi me in montes et in arcem ex Urbe removi, 
(Quid prius illustrem Satiris Musaque pedestri 1) 
Nee mala me ambitio perdit, nee plumbeus Auster, 
Auctumnusque gravis, Libitinae quaestus acerbae 



198 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Matutine pater, seu Jane libentius audis, 20 

Unde homines operum primos vitaeque labores 
Instituunt, (sic dts placitum,) tu carminis esto 
Principium. Romae sponsorem me rapis. — Eia, 
Ne prior officio quisquam respondeat, urgue ! 
Sive Aquilo radit terras, seu bruma nivalem 25 

Interiore diem gyro trahit, ire necesse est. — 
Postmodo, quod ml obsit, clare certumque locuto, 
Luctandum in turba et facienda injuria tardis. — 
Quid tibi vis, insane ? et quam rem agis improbus ? urguet 
Tratis precibus ; tu pulses oinne quod obstat, 30 

Ad JVEaecenatem memori si mente recurras. — 
Hoc juvat et melli est, non mentiar. At simul atras 
Ventum est Esquilias, aliena negotia centum 
Per caput et circa saliunt latus. Ante secundam 
Roscius orabat sibi adesses ad Puteal eras. 35 

De re communi scribae magna atque nova te 
Orabant hodie meminisses, Q,uinte, reverti. 
Imprimat his, cura, Maecenas signa tabellis. 
Dixeris, Experiar : Si vis, potes, addit et instat. 
Septimus octavo propior jam fugerit annus, 40 

Ex quo Maecenas me coepit habere suorum 
In numero, duntaxat ad hoc, quern tollere rheda 
Vellet iter faciens, et cui concredere nugas 
Hoc genus, Hora quota est ? Threx est Gallina Syro par ? 
Matutina parum cautos jam frigora mordent : 45 

Et quae rimosa bene deponuntur in aure. 
Per totum hoc tempus subjectior in diem et horam 
Invidiae noster. Ludos spectaverit una, 
Luserit in campo : Fortunae filius ! omnes. 
Frigidus a Rostris manat per compita rumor : 50 

Q,uicunque obvius est, me consulit : O bone, nam te 
Scire, deos quoniam propius contingis, oportet, 
Num quid de Dacis audisti 1 — Nil equidem. — Ut tu 
Semper eris derisor . — At omnes di exagitent me, 
Si quidquam. — Gtuid 1 militibus promissa Triquetra 55 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 6. 199 

Praedia Caesar an est Itala tellure daturas 1 
Jurantem me scire nihil mirantur ut unum 
Scilicet egregii mortalern altique silenti. 
Perditur haec inter misero lux, non sine votis : 
O rus, quando ego te adspiciam 1 quandoque licebit, 60 

Nunc veterum libris, nunc somno et inertibus horis 
Ducere sollicitae jucunda oblivia vitae 1 
O quando faba Pythagorae cognata, simulque 
Uncta satis pingui ponentur oluscula lardo 1 
O noctes coenaeque deum ! quibus ipse meique 65 

Ante larem proprium vescor, vernasque procaces 
Pasco libatis dapibus. Prout cuique libido est, 
Siccat inaequales calices conviva solutus 
Legibus insanis, seu quis capit acria fortis 
Pocula, seu modicis uvescit laetius. Ergo 70 

Sermo oritur non de villis domibusve alienis, 
Nee, male necne Lepos saltet ; sed, quod magis ad nos 
Pertinet et nescire malum est, agitamus : utrumne 
Divitiis homines an sint virtute beati : 

duidve ad amicitias, usus rectumne, trahat nos : 75 

Et quae sit natura boni summumque quid ejus. 
Cervius haec inter vicinus garrit aniles 
Ex re fabellas. Si quis nam laudat Arellt 
Sollicitas ignarus opes, sic incipit : Olim 
Rusticus urbanum murem mus paupere fertur 80 

Accepisse cavo, veterem vetus hospes amicum ; 
Asper et attentus quaesitis, ut tamen arctum 
Solveret hospitiis animum. Quid multa ? neque llle 
Sepositi ciceris nee longae invidit avenae ; 
Aridum et ore ferens acinum semesaque lardi 85 

Frusta dedit, cupiens varia fastidia coena 
Vincere tangentis male singula dente superbo. 
Gluum pater ipse domus, palea porrectus in horna, 
Esset ador loliumque, dapis meliora relinquens ; 
Tandem urbanus ad hunc : Quid te juvat, inquit, amice, 90 
Praerupti nemoris patientem vivere dorso 1 
20* 



200 0_. HORATII FLACC1 

Vis tu homines urbemque feris praeponere silvis % 

Carpe viam, mihi crede, comes, terrestria quando 

Mortales animas vivunt sortita, neque ulla est 

Aut magno aut parvo leti fuga ; quo, bone, circa, 95 

Dum licet, in rebus jucundis vive beatus ; 

Vive memor, quam sis aevi brevis. Haec ubi dicta 

Agrestem pepulere, domo levis exsilit ; inde 

Ambo propositum peragunt iter, urbis aventes 

Moenia nocturni subrepere. Jamque tenebat 100 

Nox medium coeli spatium, quum ponit uterque 

In locuplete domo vestigia, rubro ubi cocco 

Tincta super lectos canderet vestis eburnos, 

Multaque de magna superessent fercula coena, 

Quae procul exstructis inerant hesterna canistris. 105 

Ergo ubi purpurea porrectum in veste locavit 

Agrestem, veluti succinctus cursitat hospes, 

Continuatque dapes ; nee non verniliter ipsis 

Fungitur officiis, praelibans omne quod affert. 

Ille Cubans gaudet mutata sorte, bonisque 110 

Rebus agit laetum convivam, quum subito ingens 

Valvarum strepitus lectis excussit utrumque. 

Currere per totum pavidi conclave, magisque 

Examines trepidare, simul dornus alta Molossis 

Personuit canibus. Turn rusticus, Haud mihi vita 115 

Est opus hac, ait, et valeas : me silva cavusque 

Tutus ab insidiis tenui solabitur ervo. 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 7. 201 



Satira VII. 

LEPIDE SE IPSE CARPIT EX PERSONA SERVI, ET OS- 
TENDIT, LIBERUM SOLUM ESSE SAPIENTEM. 

Davus. 

Jamdudum ausculto et cttpiens tibi dicere servus 
Pauca reformido. 

Horatius. 

Davusne ? 

Davus. 

Ita. Davus, amicum 
Mancipium domino, et frugi quod sit satis, hoc est, 
Ut vitale putes. 

Horatius. 

Age, libertate Decembri, 
Quando ita majores voluerunt, utere ; narra. 5 

Davus. 

Pars hominum vitiis gaudet constanter, et urguet 

Propositum ; pars multa natat, modo recta capessens, 

Interdum pravis obnoxia. Saepe notatus 

Cum tribus anellis, modo laeva Priscus inani. 

Vixit inaequalis, clavum ut mutaret in horas ; 1 

Aedibus ex magnis subito se conderet, unde 

Mundior exiret vix libertinus honeste : 

Jam moechus Romae, jam mallet doctor Athenis 

Vivere ; Vertumnis, quotquot sunt, natus iniquis. 

Scurra Volanerius, postquam illi justa cheragra 15 

Contudit articulos, qui pro se tolleret atque 



202 ft. HORATII FLACCI 

Mitteret in phimum talos, mercede diurna 

Conductum pavit : quanto constantior idem 

In vitiis, tanto levius miser ac prior illo, 

Qui jam contento, jam laxo fune laborat. 20 

Horatius. 

Non dices hodie, quorsum haec tarn putida tendant, 
Furcifer % 

Davus. 

Ad te, inquam. 

Horatius. 

Q,uo pacto, pessime ? 

Davus. 

Laudas 

Fortunam et mores antiquae plebis, et idem, 

Si quis ad ilia deus subito te agat, usque recuses ; 

Aut quia non sentis, quod clamas, rectius esse, 25 

Aut quia non firmus rectum defendis, et haeres, 

Nequidquam coeno cupiens evellere plantam. 

Romae rus optas, absentem rusticus Urbem 

Tollis ad astra levis. Si nasquam es forte vocatus 

Ad coenam, laudas securum olus ; ac, velut usquam 30 

Vinctus eas, ita te felicem dicis amasque, 

Quod nusquam tibi sit potandum. Jusserit ad se 

Maecenas serum sub lumina prima venire 

Convivam : Nemon' oleum fert ocius 1 ecquis 

Audit % cum magno blateras clamore, fugisque. 35 

Mulvius et scurrae tibi non referenda precati 

Discedunt. Etenim, fateor me, dixerit ille, 

Duci ventre levem ; nasum nidore supinor : 

Imbecillus, iners ; si quid vis, adde, popino. 

Tu, quum sis quod ego, et fortassis nequior, ultro 40 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 7. 203 

Insectere velut melior % verbisque decoris 

Obvolvas vitium % duid, si me stultior ipso 

duingentis emto drachmis deprenderis ? Aufer 

Me vultu terrere ; manum stomachumque teneto, 

Dum, quae Crispini docuit me janitor, edo. 45 

Te conjux aliena capit, meretricula Davum : 
Peccat uter nostrum cruce dignius % Acris ubi me 
Nat lira incendit, sub clara nuda lucerna 
duaecunque excepit turgentis verbera caudae 
Clunibus, aut agitavit equum lasciva supinum : 50 

Dimittit neque famosum, neque sollicitum, ne 
Ditior aut formae melioris meiat eodem. 
Tu, quum projectis insignibus, annulo equestri 
Romanoque habitu, prodis ex judice Dama 
Turpis, odoratum caput obscurante lacerna, 55 

Non es quod simulas ? Metuens induceris, atque 
Altercante libidinibus tremis ossa pavore. 
Gluid refert, uri, virgis ferroque necari 
Auctoratus eas ; an turpi clausus in area, 
duo te demisit peccati conscia herilis, 60 

Contractum genibus tangas caput 1 Estne marito 
Matronae peccantis in ambo justa potestas, 
In corruptorem vel justior 1 Ilia tamen se 
Non habitu mutatve loco, peccatve superne, 
duum te formidet mulier, neque credat amanti. 65 

Ibis sub furcam prudens, dominoque furenti 
Committes rem omnem et vitam et cum corpore famam. 
Evasti ? metues, credo, doctusque cavebis. 
duaeres, quando iterum paveas iterumque perire 
Possis, O toties servus ! duae bellua ruptis, 70 

duum semel effugit, reddit se prava catenis 1 

Non sum moechus, ais. Neque ego hercule fur, ubi vasa 
Praetereo sapiens argentea. Tolle periclum : 
Jam vaga prosiliet frenis natura remotis. 
Tune mihi dominus, rerum imperiis hominumque 75 

Tot tantisque minor, quern ter vindicta quaterque 



204 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Imposita haud unquam misera formidine privet ? 

Adde super, dictis quod non levius valeat : nam 

Sive vicarius est qui servo paret, uti mos 

Vester ait, seu conservus : tibi quid sum ego 1 Nempe 80 

Tu, mihi qui imperitas, aliis servis miser ; atque 

Duceris ut nervis alienis mobile lignum. 

duisnam igitur liber ? Sapiens, sibi qui imperiosus ; 
Quern neque pauperies neque mors neque vincula terrent ; 
Responsare cupidinibus, contemnere honores 85 

Fortis ; et in se ipso totus, teres atque rotundus, 
Externi ne quid valeat per leve morari, 
In quem manca ruit semper Fortuna. Potesne 
Ex his ut proprium quid noscere 1 Quinque talenta 
Poscit te mulier, vexat, foribusque repulsum 90 

Perfundit gehda ; rursus vocat : eripe turpi 
Colla jugo : Liber, liber sum, die age. Non quis : 
Urguet enim dominus mentem non lenis, et acres 
Subjectat lasso stimulos, versatque negantem. 

Vel quum Pausiaca torpes, insane, tabella, 95 

Qui peccas minus atque ego, quum Fulvi Rutubaeque 
Aut Placideiani contento poplite miror 
Proeba, rubrica picta aut carbone ; velut si 
Re vera pugnent, feriant, vitentque moventes 
Arma viri ? Nequam et cessator Davus ; at ipse 100 

Subtilis veterum judex et callidus audis. 
Nil ego, si ducor libo fumante : tibi ingens 
Virtus atque animus coenis responsat opimis 1 
Obsequium ventris mihi perniciosius est : cur ? 
Tergo plector enim ; qui tu impunitior ilia, 105 

Quae parvo sumi nequeunt, obsonia captas ? 
Nempe inamarescunt epulae sine fine petitae, 
Illusique pedes vitiosum ferre recusant 
Corpus. An hie peccat, sub noctem qui puer uvam 
Furtiva mutat strigili ? qui praedia vendit, 110 

Nil servile, gulae parens, habet ? Adde, quod idem 
Non horam tecum esse potes, non otia recte 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 8. 205 

Ponere ; teque ipsum vitas fugitivus et erro, 

Jam vino quaercns, jam somno fallere curam : 

Frustra : nam comes atra premit sequiturque fugacem. 115 



Unde mihi lapidem ? 



Horatius. 

Davus. 

Cluorsum est opus ? 

Horatius. 

Unde sagittas % 

Davus. 

Aut insanit homo, aut versus facit. 

Horatius. 

Ocius hinc te 
Ni rapis, accedes opera agro nona Sabino. 

Satira VIII. 

IN NASIDIENUM RUFUM CONVIVATOREM VA- 
PIDE GARRULUM. 

Horatius. 

Ut Nasidieni juvit te coena beati ? 

Nam mihi convivam quaerenti dictus heri illic 

De medio potare die. 

Fundanius. 

Sic ut mihi nunquam 
In vita fuerit melius. 



206 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Horatius. 

Da, si grave non est, 
Quae prima iratum ventrem placaverit esca. 

Fundanius. 5 

En primis Lucanus aper : leni fuit Austro 

Captus, ut aiebat coenae pater ; acria circum 

Rapula, lactucae, radices, qualia lassum 

Pervellunt stomachum, siser, halec, faecula Coa. 

His ubi sublatis puer alte cinctus acernam 10 

Gausape purpureo mensam pertersit, et alter 

Sublegit quodcunque jaceret inutile, quodque 

Posset coenantes offendere ; ut Attica virgo 

Cum sacris Cereris, procedit fuscus Hydaspes 

Caecuba vina ferens, Alcon Chium maris expers. 15 

Hie herus, Albanum, Maecenas, sive Falernum 

Te magis, appositis delectat, habemus utrumque. 

Horatius. 

Divrtias miseras ! Sed queis coenantibus una, 
Fundani, pulchre fuerit tibi, nosse laboro. 

Fundanius. 

Summus ego, et prope me Viscus Thurinus, et infra, 20 

Si memini, Varius ; cum Servilio Balatrone 

Vibidius, quos Maecenas adduxerat umbras. 

Nomentanus erat super ipsum, Porcius infra, 

Ridiculus totas simul obsorbere placentas. 

Nomentanus ad hoc, qui, si quid forte lateret, 25 

Indice monstraret digito : nam cetera turba, 

Nos, inquam, coenamus, aves, conchylia, pisces, 

Longe dissimilem noto celantia succum ; 

Ut vel continuo patuit, quum passeris assi et 

Ingustata mihi porrexerat ilia rhombi. 30 

Post hoc me docuit, melimela rubere minorem 



SERMONUM LIB. II. 8. 207 

Ad lunarn delecta. Quid hoc intersit, ab ipso 
Audieris melius. Turn Vibidius Balatroni : 
Nos nisi damnose bibimus, moriemur inulti ; 
Et calices poscit majores. Vertere pallor 35 

Turn parochi faciem, nil sic metuentis ut acres 
Potores, vel quod maledicunt liberius, vel 
Fervida quod subtile exsurdant vina palatum. 
Invertunt Allifanis vinaria tota 

Vibidius Balatroque, secutis omnibus : imi 40 

Convivae lecti nihilum nocuere lagenis. 
AfTertur squillas inter muraena natantes 
In patina porrecta. Sub hoc herus, Haec gravida, inquit, 
Capta est, deterior post parlum carnefutura. 
His mixtumjus est : oleo, quod prima Venafri 45 

Pressit cella ; garo de succis piscis Iberi ; 
Vino quinquenni, verum citra mare nato, 
Dum coquitur ; cocto Chium sic convenit, ut non 
Hoc magis ullum aliud ; pipere albo, non sine aceto, 
Quod J\lethymnaeam vitio mutaverit uvam. 50 

Erucas virides, inulas ego primus amaras 
JWonstravi incoquere ; illotos Curtillus echinos, s 
Ut melius muria, quam testa marina remittit. 
Interea suspensa graves aulaea ruinas 

In patinam fecere, trahentia pulveris atri 55 

duantum non Aquilo Campanis excitat agris. 
,Nos majus veriti, postquam nihil esse pericli 
Sensimus, erigimur. Rufus posito capite, ut si 
Filius immaturus obisset, flere. Gtuis esset 
Finis, ni sapiens sic Nomentanus amicum 60 

Tolleret % Heu, Fortuna, quis est crudelior in nos 
Te deus 1 ut semper gaudes illudere rebus 
Humanis ! Varius mappa compescere risum 
Vix poterat. Balatro suspendens omnia naso, 
Haec est conditio vivendi, aiebat, eoque 65 

Responsura tuonunquam est par fama labori. 
Tenc, ut ego accipiar laute, torquerier omni 
21 



208 ft. HORATII FLACCI 

Sollicitudine districtum ? ne panis adustus, 

Ne male conditum jus apponatur ? ut omnes 

Praecincti recte pueri comtique ministrent ? 70 

JLdde hos praeterea casus, aidaea ruant si, 

Ut modo ; si patinam pe.de, lapsus frangat agaso. 

Sed convivatoris, uti ducis, ingcnium res 

Jldversae nudare solent, celare secundae. 

Nasidienus ad haec ; Tibi di, quaecunque preceris, 75 

Comrnoda dent ; ita vir bonus es convivaque comis. 

Et soleas poscit. Turn in lecto quoque videres 

Stridere secreta divisos aure susurros. 

Horatius. 

Nullos his mallem ludos spectasse ; sed ilia 
Redde, age, quae deinceps risisti. 

Fundanius. 

Vibidius dum 80 

Quaerit de pueris, num sit quoque fracta lagena, 
duod sibi poscenti non dantur pocula, dumque 
Ridetur fictis rerum, Balatrone secundo : 
Nasidiene, redis mutatae frontis, ut arte 
Emendaturus fortunam ; deinde secuti 85 

Mazonomo pueri magno discerpta ferentes 
Membra gruis, sparsi sale multo non sine farre, 
Pinguibus et ficis pastum jecur anseris albae, 
Et leporum avulsos, ut multo suavius, armos, 
Cluam si cum lumbis quis edit. Turn pectore adusto 90 
Vidimus et merulas poni, et sine clune palumbes ; 
Suaves res, si non causas narraret earum et 
Naturas dominus, quern nos sic fugimus ulti, 
Ut nihil omnino gustaremus, velut illis 
Canidia afflasset pejor serpentibus Afris. 95 



Q. HORATII FLACCJ 

EPISTOLARUM 

LIBER PRIMUS. 



Epistola I 
AD MAECENATEM. 

Prima dicte mihi, summa dicende Camena, 

Spectatum satis, et donatum jam rude, quaeris, 

Maecenas, iterum antiquo me includere ludo ? 

Non eadem est aetas, non mens. Veianius, armis 

Herculis ad postern fixis, latet abditus agro, 5 

Ne populum extrema toties exoret arena. 

Est mihi purgatam crebro qui personet aurem : 

Solve senescentem mature sanus equum, ne 

Peccet ad extremum ridendus, et ilia ducat. 

Nunc itaque et versus et cetera ludicra pono ; 10 

Quid verum atque decens euro et rogo, et omnis in hoc sum : 

Condo et compono, quae mox depromere possim. 

Ac ne forte roges, quo me duce, quo lare tuter ; 
Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri, 
Quo me cunque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes. 15 

Nunc agilis fio et mersor civilibus undis, 
Virtutis verae custos rigidusque satelles ; 
Nunc in Aristippi furtim praecepta relabor, 
Et mihi res, non me rebus subjungere conor. 
Ut nox longa, quibus mentitur arnica, diesque 20 



210 q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Lenta, videtur opus debentibus ; ut piger annus 

Pupillis, quos dura premit custodia matrum : 

Sic mihi tarda fluunt ingrataque tempora, quae spem 

Consiliumque morantur agendi gnaviter id, quod 

Aeque pauperibus prodest, locupletibus aeque, 25 

Aeque neglectum pueris senibusque nocebit. 

Restat, ut his ego me ipse regam solerque elementis : 
Non possis oculo quantum contendere Ljnceus, 
Non tamen idcirco contemnas lippus inungi ; 
Nee, quia desperes invicti membra Glyconis, 30 

Nodosa corpus nolis prohibere cheragra. 
Est quadam prodire tenus, si non datur ultra. 
Fervet avaritia miseroque cupidine pectus 1 
Sunt verba et voces, quibus hunc lenire dolorem 
Possis, et magnam morbi deponere partem. 35 

Laudis amore tumes 1 sunt certa piacula, quae te 
Ter pure lecto poterunt recreare libello. 
Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator ? 
Nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit, 
Si modo culturae patientem commodet aurem. 40 

Virtus est vitium fugere, et sapientia prima 
Stultitia caruisse. Vides, quae maxima credis 
Esse mala, exiguum censum turpemque repulsam, 
Q,uanto devites animo capitisque labore. 
Impiger extremos curris mercator ad Indos, 45 

Per mare pauperiem fugiens, per saxa, per ignes : 
Ne cures ea, quae stulte miraris et optas, 
Discere et audire et meliori credere non vis ? 
Gluis circum pagos et circum compita pugnax 
Magna coronari contemnat Olympia, cui spes, 50 

Cui sit conditio dulcis sine pulvere palmae ? 

Vilius argentum est auro, virtutibus aurum. 
cives, cives, quaerenda pecunia primum est, 
Virtus post nummos. Haec Janus summus ab imo 
Prodocet ; haec recinunt juvenes dictata senesque, 55 

Laevo suspensi loculos tabulamque lacerto. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 1. 211 



Est animus tibi, sunt mores, est lingua 

Sed quadringentis sex septem millia desint : 

Plebs eris. At pueri ludentes, Rex eris, aiunt, 

Si rede fades. Hie murus aeneus esto, 60 

Nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa. 

Roscia, die sodes, melior lex, an puerorum est 

Naenia, quae regnum recte facientibus offert, 

Et maribus Curiis et decantata Camillis ? 

Isne tibi melius suadet, qui, rem facias ; rem, 65 

Si possis, recte ; si non, quocunque modo rem, 

Ut propius spectes lacrimosa poemata Pupt : 

An qui, fortunae te responsare superbae 

Liberum et erectum, praesens hortatur et aptat % 

Quod si me populus Romanus forte roget, cur 70 

Non, ut porticibus, sic judiciis fruar fsdem, 
Nee sequar aut fugiam, quae diligit ipse vel odit ; 
Olim quod vulpes aegroto cauta leoni 
Respondit , referam : Qufa me vestigia terrent 
Omnia te adversum spedantia, nulla retrorsum. 75 

Bellua multorum estcapitum. Nam quid sequar 1 aut quem ? 
Pars hominum gestit conducere publica ; sunt qui 
Crustis et pomis viduas venentur avaras, 
Excipiantque senes, quos in vivaria mittant ; 
Multis occulta crescit res fenore. Verum 80 

Esto, aliis alios rebus studiisque teneri : 
Iidem eadem possunt lioram durare probantes ? 
Nullus in orbc sinus Baits praelucet amoenis 
Si dixit dives, lacus et mare sentit amorem 
Festinantis heri ; cui si vitiosa libido 85 

Fecerit auspicium, eras ferramenta Teanum 
Tolletis, fabri. Lectus genialis in aula est : 
Nil ait esse prius, melius nil caelibe vita ; 
Si non est, jurat bene solis esse maritis. 
Q,uo teneam vultus mutantem Protea nodo ? 90 

Quid pauper 1 ride, ut mutat coenacula, lectos, 
21* 



212 Q_. H0RATII FLACCI 

Balnea, tonsores ; conducto navigio aeque 
Nauseat ac locuples, quem ducit priva triremis. 

Si curatus inaequali tonsore capillos 
Occurro, rides : si forte subucula pexae 95 

Trita subest tunicae, vel si toga dissidet impar, 
Rides, Quid 1 mea quum pugnat sententia secum ; 
Q,uod petiit, spernit ; repetit quod nuper omisit ; 
Aestuat et vitae disconvenit ordine toto ; 
Diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis : 100 

Insanire putas solennia me 1 neque rides 'I 
Nee medici credis nee curatoris egere 
A praetore dati, rerum tutela mearum 
Gluum sis, et prave sectum stomacheris ob unguem 
De te pendentis, te respicientis amici 1 105 

Ad summam, sapiens uno minor est Jove, dives, 
Liber, honoratus, pulcher, rex denique regum ; 
Praecipue sanus, nisi quum pituita molesta est. 



Epistola II. 
AD LOLLIUM. 

Trojani belli scriptorem, maxime Lolli, 

Dum tu declamas Romae, Praeneste relegi ; 

Gtui, quid sit pulchrum, quid turpe ; quid utile, quid non, 

Planius ac melius Chrysippo et Crantore dicit. 

Cur ita crediderim, nisi quid te detinet, audi. 5 

Fabula, qua Paridis propter narratur amorem 
Graecia Barbariae lento collisa duello, 
Stultorum regum et populorum continet aestus. 
Antcnor censet belli praecidere causam : 
Quod Paris, ut salvus regnet vivatque beatus, 10 

Cogi posse negat. Nestor componere lites 
Inter Peliden festinat et inter Atriden : 
Hunc amor, ira quidem communiter urit utrumque. 
Quidquid delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 2. 213 

Seditione, dolis, scelere, atque libidine et ira 15 

Iliacos intra irrnros peccatur et extra. 

Rursum, quid virtus et quid sapientia possit, 
Utile proposuit nobis exemplar Ulixen ; 
Qui domitor Trojae multorum providus urbes 
Et mores hominum inspexit, latumque per aequor, 20 

Dum sibi, dum sociis reditum parat, aspera multa 
Pertulit, adversis rerum immersabilis undis. 
Sirenum voces et Circae pocula nosti ; 
Gluae si cum sociis stultus cupidusque bibisset, 
Sub domina mere trice fuisset turpis et excors, 25 

Vixisset canis immundus, vel amrca luto sus. 
Nos numerus sumus, et fruges consumere nati, 
Sponsi Penelopae, nebulones Alcinoique, 
In cute curanda plus aequo operata juventus ; 
Cui pulchrum fuit in medios dormire dies, et 30 

Ad strepitum citliarae cessatum ducere curam. 

Ut jugulent hominern, surgunt de nocte latrones : 
Ut te ipsum serves, non expergisceris % atqui 
Si noles sanus, curres hydropicus ; et ni 
Posces ante diem librum cum lumine, si non 35 

Intendes animum studiis et rebus honestis, 
Invidia vel amore vigil torquebere. Nam cur, 
Quae laedunt oculum, festinas demere ; si quid 
Est animum, differs curandi tempus in annum 1 
Dimidium facti, qui coepit, habet ; sapere aude, 40 

Incipe. Gtui recte vivendi prorogat horam, 
Rusticus exspectat, dum defluat amnis ; at ille 
Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum. 

Quaentur argentum, puerisque beata creandis 
Uxor, et incultae pacantur vomere silvae. 45 

Q,uod satis est cui contigit, hie nihil amplius optet. 
Non domus et fundus, non aeris acervus et auri 
Aegroto domini deduxit corpore febres, 
Non animo curas. Valeat possessor oportet, 
Si comportatis rebus bene cogitat uti. 50 



21-1 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Qui cupit aut metuit, juvat ilium sic domus et res, 
Ut lippumpictae tabulae, fomenta podagrum, 
Auriculas citharae collecta sorde dolentes. 
Sincerum est nisi vas, quodcunque infundis, acescit. 

Sperne voluptates ; nocet emta dolore voluptas. 55 

Semper avarus eget ; certum voto pete finem. 
Invidus alterius macrescit rebus opimis : 
Invidia Siculi non invenere tyranni 
Majus tormentum. Qui non moderabitur irae, 
Infect um volet esse, dolor quod suaserit amens, 60 

Dum poenas odio per vim festinat inulto. 
Ira furor brevis est ; animum rege ; qui, nisi paret, 
Imperat ; hunc frenis, hunc tu compesce catena. 
Fin git equum tenera docilem cervice magister 
Ire, viam qua monstret eques. Venaticus, ex quo 65 

Tempore cervinam pellem latravit in aula, 
Militat in silvis catulus. Nunc adbibe puro 
Pectore verba, puer, nunc te melioribus offer. 
Quo semel est imbuta recens, servabit odorem 
Testa diu. Quod si cessas aut strenuus anteis, 70 

Nee tardum opperior nee praecedentibus insto. 

Epistola III. 
AD JUL1UM FLORUM. 

Juli Flore, quibus terrarum militet oris 

Claudius Augusti privignus, scire laboro. 

Thracane vos, Hebrusque nivali compede vinctus, 

Am freta vicinas inter currentia turres, 

An pingues Asiae campi collesque morantur ? 5 

Quid studiosa cohors operum struit 1 Hoc quoque euro. 

Quis sibi res gestas Augusti scribere sumit ? 

Bella quis et paces longum diffundit in aevum ? 

Quid Titius, Romana brevi venturus in ora, 

Pindarici fontis qui non expalluit haustus, 10 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 4. 215 

Fastidire lacus et rivos ausus apertos 1 

Ut valet ? ut meminit nostri ? fidibusne Latinis 

Thebanos aptare modos studet, auspice Musa ? 

An tragica desaevit et ampullatur in arte ? 

Quid mihi Celsus agit ? monitus multumque monendus, 15 

Privatas ut quaerat opes, et tangere vitet 

Scripta, Palatinus quaecunque recepit Apollo ; 

Ne, si forte suas repetitum venerit olim 

Grex avium plumas, moveat cornicula risum 

Furtivis nudata coloribus. Ipse quid audes 1 20 

Gluae circumvolitas agilis thyma 1 non tibi parvum 

Ingenium, non incultum est et turpiter hirtum. 

Seu linguam causis acuis, seu civica jura 

Respondere paras, seu condis amabile carmen : 

Prima feres ederae victricis praemia. Q,uod si 25 

Frigida curarum fomenta relinquere posses, 

duo te coelestis sapientia duceret, ires. 

Hoc opus, hoc studium parvi properemus et ampli, 

Si patriae volumus, si nobis vivere cari. 

Debes hoc etiam rescribere, si tibi curae, 30 

Quantae conveniat, Munatius ; an male sarta 

Gratia nequidquam coit et rescinditur 1 At, vos 

Seu calidus sanguis seu rerum inscitia vexat 

Indomita cervice feros, ubicunque locorum 

Vivitis, indigni fraternum rumpere foedus, 35 

Pascitur in vestrum reditum votiva juvenca. 

Epistola IV. 

AD ALBIUM TIBULLUM. 

Albi, nostrorum sermonum candide judex, 

Quid nunc te dicam faeere in regione Pedana 1 

Scribere quod Cassi Parmensis opuscula vincat, 

An taciturn silvas inter reptare salubres, 

Curantem quidquid dignum sapiente bonoque est ? 5 



21G Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Non tu corpus eras sine pectore. Di tibi formam, 

Di tibi divitias dederant, artemque fruendi. 

Q,uid voveat dulci nutricula majus alumno, 

Q,ui sapere et fan possit quae sentiat, et cui 

Gratia, fama, valetudo contingat abunde, 10 

Et domus et victus, non deficiente crumena ? 

Inter spem curamque, timores inter et iras, 

Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum : 

Grata superveniet, quae non sperabitur, hora. 

Me pinguem et nitidum bene curata cute vises, 1 5 

Q,uurn ridere voles Epicuri de grege porcum. 



Epistola V. 

AD TORaUATUM. 

Si potes Archiacis conviva recumbere lectis, 

Nee modica coenare times olus omne patella, 

Supremo te sole domi, Torquate, manebo. 

Vina bibes iterum Tauro diffusa, palustres 

Inter Minturnas Sinuessanumque Petrinum. 5 

Sin melius quid habes, arcesse, vel imperium fer. 

Jamdudum splendet focus, et tibi munda supellex. 

Mitte leves spes, et certamina divitiarum, 

Et Moschi causam. Cras nato Caesare festus 

Dat veniam somnumque dies ; impune licebit 10 

Aestivam sermone benigno tendere noctem. 

Q,uo mihi, fortuna si non conceditur uti 1 

Parous ob heredis curam nimiumque severus 

Assidet insane Potare et spargere flores 

Incipiam, patiarque vel inconsultus haberi. 15 

Quid non ebrietas designat % operta recludit, 

Spes jubet esse ratas, in proelia trudit inertem, 

Sollicitis animis onus eximit, addocet artes. 

Fecundi calices quern non fecere disertum ? 

Contracta quern non in paupertate solutum ? 20 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 6 217 

Haec ego procurare et idoneus imperor, et non 

Invitus ; ne turpe toral, ne sordida mappa 

Corruget nares ; ne non et cantharus et lanx 

Ostendat tibi te ; ne fidos inter amicos 

Sit, qui dicta foras eliminet ; ut coeat par 25 

Jungaturque pari. Butram tibi Septiciumque, 

Et nisi coena prior potiorque puella Sabinum 

Detinet, assumam. Locus est et pluribus umbris ; 

Sed nimis arcta premunt olidae convivia caprae. 

Tu, quotus esse velis, rescribe ; et rebus omissis 30 

Atria servantem postico falle clientem. 

Epistola VI. 

AD NUMICIUM. 

Nil admirari prope res est una, Numici, 

Solaque, quae possit facere et servare beatum. 

Hunc solem, et Stellas, et decedentia certis 

Tempora momentis, sunt qui formidine nulla 

Imbuti spectent. Quid censes munera terrae 1 5 

Q,uid maris extremos Arabas ditantis et Indos ? 

Ludicra quid, plausus, et amici dona duiritis % 

Q,uo spectanda modo, quo sensu credis et ore ? 

Q,ui timet his adversa, fere miratur eodem 

Quo cupiens pacto ; pavor est utrobique molestus ; 1 

Improvisa simul species exterret utrumque. 

Gaudeat an doleat, cupiat metuatne, quid ad rem, 

Si, quidquid vidit melius pejusve sua spe, 

Defixis oculis, animoque et corpore torpet % 

Insani sapiens nomen ferat, aequus iniqui, 1 5 

Ultra quam satis est virtutem si petat ipsam. 
I nunc, argentum et marmor vetus aeraque et artes 
Suspice, cum gemmis Tyrios mirare colores, 
Gaude quod spectant oculi te mille loquentem, 
Gnavus mane forum, et vespertinus pete tectum, 20 



218 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Ne plus frumenti dotalibus emetat agris 

Mutus, et (indignum, quod sit pejoribus ortus) 

Hie tibi sit potius, quam tu mirabilis illi. 

Quid quid sub terra est, in apricum proferet aetas, 

Defodiet condetque nitentia. Gluum bene notum 25 

Porticus Agrippae et via te conspexerit Appi, 

Ire tamen restat, Numa quo devenit et Ancus. 

Si latus aut renes morbo tentantur acuto, 
Quaere fugam morbi. Vis recte vivere 1 quis non % 
Si virtus hoc una potest dare, fortis omissis 30 

Hoc age deliciis. Virtutem verba putas, et 
Lucum ligna 1 cave ne portus occupet alter ; 
Ne Cibyratica, ne Bithyna negotia perdas. 
Mille talenta rotundentur ; totidem altera porro, et 
Tertia succedant, et quae pars quadret acervum. 35 

Scilicet uxorem cum dote, fidemque, et amicos, 
Et genus et formam regina Pecunia donat, 
Ac bene nummatum decorat Suadela Venusque. 
Mancipiis locuples eget aeris Cappadocum rex : 
Ne fueris hie tu. Chlamydes Lucullus, ut aiunt, 40 

Si posset centum scenae praebere rogatus, 
Qui possum tot ? ait ; tamen et quaeram, et quot habebo 
Mittam. Post paulo scribit, sibi millia quinque 
Esse domi chlamydum ; partem, vel tolleret omnes. 
Exilis dornus est, ubi non et multa supersunt, 45 

Et dominum fallunt, et prosunt furibus. Ergo 
Si res sola potest facere et servare beatum, 
Hoc primus repetas opus, hoc postremus omittas. 

Si fortunatum species et gratia praestat, 
Mercemur servum, qui dictet nomina, laevum 50 

Qui fodicet latus, et cogat trans pondera dextram 
Porrigere. Hie multum in Fabia valet, ille Velina ; 
Cui libet is fasces dabit, eripietque curule 
Cui volet importunus ebur ; Frater, Pater, adde ; 
Ut cuique est aetas, ita quemque facetus adopta. 55 

Si. bene qui coenat, bene vivit : lucet, eamus 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 7. 219 

Gluo ducit gula ; piscemur, venemur ; ut olim 

Gargilius, qui mane plagas, venabula, servos 

Differtum transire forum populumque jubebat, 

CJnus ut e multis populo spectante referret 60 

Emtum mulus aprum. Crudi tumidique lavemur, 

Quid deceat, quid non, obliti, Caerite cera 

Digni, remigium vitiosum Ithacensis Ulixei, 

Cui potior patria fuit interdicta voluptas. 

Si, Mimnermus uti censet ; sine amore jocisque 65 

Nil est jucundum : vivas in amore jocisque. 

Vive, vale ; si quid novisti rectius istis, 
Candidus imperti ; si non, his utere mecum. 

Epistola VII. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Quinque dies tibi pollicitus me rure futurum, 

Sextilem totum mendax desideror. Atqui 

Si me vivere vis, recteque videre valentem, 

Gluam mihi das aegro, dabis aegrotare timenti, 

Maecenas, veniam ; dum flcus prima calorque 5 

Designatorem decorat lictoribus atris, 

Dum pueris omnis pater et matercula pallet, 

Officiosaque sedulitas et opella forensis 

Adducit febres et testamenta resignat. 

Quod si bruma nives Albanis illinet agris, 10 

Ad mare descendet vates tuus, et sibi parcet, 

Contractusque leget ; te, dulcis amice, reviset 

Cum Zephyris, si concedes, et hirundine prima. 

Non, quo more piris vesci Calaber jubet hospes, 
Tu me fecisti locupletem. — Vescere sodes. — 15 

Jam satis est. — Jit tu quantumvis tolle. — Benigne. 
Non invisa feres pueris munuscula parvis. — 
Tarn teneor dono, quam si dimittar onustus. — 
Ut libet, hacc porcis hodie comedenda relinquis, 
22 



220 a. iioratii fj,acci 

Prodigus et stultus donat, quae spernit et odit. 20 

Haec seges ingratos tulit, et feret omnibus annis. 

Vir bonus et sapiens dignis ait esse paratus, 

Nee tamen ignorat, quid distent aera lupinis. 

Dignum praestabo me etiam pro laude merentis. 

Quod si me noles usquam discedere, reddes 25 

Forte latus, nigros angusta fronte capillos, 

Reddes dulce loqui, reddes ridere decorum, et 

Inter vina fugam Cinarae moerere protervae. 

Forte per angustam tenuis nitedula rimam 
Repserat in cumeram frumenti, pastaque rursus 30 

Ire foras pleno tendebat corpore frustra. 
Cui mustela procul, Si vis, ait, effugere istinc, 
Macra cavum repetes arctum, quern macra subisti. 
Hac ego si compellor imagine, cuncta resigno. 
Nee somnum plebis laudo, satur altilium, nee 35 

Otia divitiis Arabum liberrima muto. 
Saepe verecundum laudasti ; Rexque Paterque 
Audisti coram ; nee verbo parcius absens. 
Inspice, si possum donata reponere laetus. 
Haud male Telemachus, proles patientis Ulixei : 40 

Non est aptus equis Ithace locus ; ut neque plants 
Porrectus spatiis, neque multae prodigus herbae : 
JLtride, magis apta tibi tua dona relinquam. 
Parvum parva decent. Mini jam non regia Roma, 
Sed vacuum Tibur placet, aut imbelle Tarentum. 45 

Strenuus et fortis, causisque Philippus agendis 
Clarus, ab officiis octavam circiter horam 
Dum redit, atque Foro nimium distare Carinas 
Jam grandis natu queritur, conspexit, ut aiunt, 
Adrasum quendam vacua tonsoris in umbra, 50 

Cultello proprios purgantem leniter ungues. 
Demetri, (puer hie non laeve jussa Philippi 
Accipiebat,) abi y quaere et refer, wide domo ; quis ; 
Cujus fortunae ; quo sit pair e quove patrono. 
It, redit, enarrat : Vulteium, nomine Menam, 55 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 7, 221 

Praeconem, tenui censu, sine crimine natum ; 

Et properare loco et cessare, et quaerere et uti, 

Gaudentem parvisque sodalibus, et lare certo, 

Et ludis, et post decisa negotia Campo. 

Scitari libet ex ipso quaecunque refers, die CO 

Ad coenam veniat. Non sane credere Mena ; 

Mirari secum tacitus. Gluid multa 1 Benigne, 

Respondet. — Neget ille mihi 1 — JYegat improbus, et te 

Negligit aid horret. — Vulteium mane Philippus 

Vilia vendentem tunicato scruta popello 65 

Occupat, et salvere jubet prior. Ille Philippo 

Excusare laborem et mercenaria vincla, 

Gluod non mane domum venisset ; denique, quod non 

Providisset eum. — Sic ignovisse putato 

JVfe tibi, si coenas hodie mecum. — Ut libet. — Ergo 70 

Post nonam venies ; nunc i 7 rem strenuus auge. 

Ut ventum ad coenam est, dicenda tacenda locutus, 

Tandem dormitum dimittitur. Hie, ubi saepe 

Occultum visus decurrere piscis ad hamum, 

Mane cliens et jam certus conviva, jubetur 75 

Rura suburbana indictis comes ire Latinis. 

Impositus mannis arvum coelumque Sabinum 

Non cessat laudare. Videt ridetque Philippus, 

Et sibi dum requiem, dum risus undique quaerit, 

Dum septem donat sestertia, mutua septem 80 

Promittit, persuadet, uti mercetur agellum. 

Mercatur. Ne te longis ambagibus ultra 

Q,uam satis est morer, ex nitido fit rusticus, atque 

Sulcos et vineta crepat mera, praeparat ulmos, 

Immoritur studiis, et amore senescit habendi. 85 

Verum ubi oves furto, morbo periere capellae, 

Spem mentita seges, bos est enectus arando : 

Offensus damnis, media de nocte caballum 

Anipit, iratusque Philippi tendit ad aedes. 

duem simul adspexit scabrum intonsumque Philippus, 90 

Durus : ait, Vidtei, nimis attentusque videris 



222 Q. HORATII FLACC1 

Esse mihi. — Pol, me miserum, palrone, vocares, 

Si velles, inquit, verum mihi portere nomen. 

Qiwd le per Genium dexlramque deosquc Penates 

Obsecro el obtestor, vitae vie redde priori. 95 

Qui semel adspexit, quantum dimissa petitis 
Praestent, mature redeat repetatque relicta. 
Metiri se quemque suo modulo ac pede verum est. 



Epistola VIII. 
AD CELSUM ALBINOVANUM. 

Celso gaudere et bene rem gerere Albinovano, 

Musa rogata refer, comiti scribaeque Neronis. 

Si quaere t quid agam, die, multa et pulchra minantem, 

Vivere nee recte nee suaviter ; haud quia grando 

Contuderit vites, oleamve momorderit aestus, 5 

Nee quia longinquis armentum aegrotet in agris ; 

Sed quia mente minus validus quam corpore toto 

Nil audire velim, nil discere, quod levet aegrum ; 

Fidis offendar medicis, irascar amicis, 

Cur me funesto properent arcere veterno ; 10 

Q,uae nocuere sequar, fugiam quae profore credam, 

Romae Tibur amem, ventosus Tibure Romam. 

Post haec, ut valeat, quo pacto rem gerat et se, 

Ut placeat Juveni, percontare, utque cohorti. 

Si dicet, Recte : primum gaudere, subinde 15 

Praeeeptum auriculis hoc instillare memento : 

Ut tu fortunam, sic nos te, Celse. feremus 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 9. 10. 223 

Epistola IX. 

AD CLAUDIUM NERONEM. 

Septimius, Claudi, nimirum intelligit unus, 

Cluanti me facias. Nam quum rogat et prece cogit, 

Scilicet ut tibi se laudare et tradere coner, 

Dignum mente domoque legentis honesta Neronis, 

Munere quum fungi propioris cense t amici, 5 

Q,uid possim videt ac novit me valdius ipso. 

Multa quidem dixi, cur excusatus abirem : 

Sed timui, mea ne finxisse minora putarer ; 

Dissimulator opis propriae, mihi commodus urn. 

Sic ego, majoris fugiens opprobria culpae, 10 

Frontis ad urbanae descendi praemia. Quod si 

Depositum laudas ob amici jussa pudorem, 

Scribe tui gregis hunc, et foitem crede bonumque. 

Epistola X. 

AD FUSCUM ARISTIUM. 

Urbis amatorem Fuscum salvere jubemus 
Ruris amatores, hac in re scilicet una 
Multum dissimiles, at cetera paene gemelli, 
Fraternis animis, quidquid negat alter, et alter ; 
Annuimus pariter vetuli notique columbi. 5 

Tu nidum servas, ego laudo ruris amoeni 
Rivos, et musco circumlita saxa, nemusque. 
Q,uid quaeris ? vivo et regno, simul ista reliqui 
Quae vos ad coelum fertis rumore secundo ; 
Utque sacerdotis fugitivus, liba recuso ; 10 

Pane egeo jam mellitis potiore placentis. 
Vivere naturae si convenienter oportet, 
Ponendaeque domo quaerenda est area primum, 
22* 



224 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Novistine locum potiorem rure beato ? 

Est ubi plus tepeant hiemes ? ubi gratior aura 1 5 

Leniat et rabiem Canis, et momenta Leonis, 

Q,uum semel accepit solem furibundus acutum % 

Est ubi divellat somnos minus invida cura ? 

Deterius Libycis olet aut nitet herba iapillis ? 

Purior in vicis aqua tendit rumpere plumbum, 2~0 

Q,uam quae per pronum trepidat cum murmure nvum 1 

Nempe inter varias nutritur silva columnas, 

Laudaturque domus, longos quae prospicit agros. 

Naturam expelles furca, tamen usque recurret, 

Et mala perrumpet furtim fastidia victrix. 25 

Non, qui Sidonio contendere callidus ostro 
Nescit Aquinatem potantia vellera fucum, 
Certius accipiet damnum propiusve medullis, 
Q,uam qui non poterit vero distinguere falsum. 
GLuem res plus nimio delectavere secundae, 30 

Mutatae quatient. Si quid mirabere, pones 
Invitus. Fuge magna ; licet sub paupere tecto 
Reges et regum vita praecurrere amicos. 

Cervus equum pugna melior communibus herbis 
Pellebat, donee minor in certamine longo 35 

Imploravit opes hominis, frenumque recepit. 
Sed postquam victor violens discessit ab hoste, 
Non equitem dorso, non frenum depulit ore. 
Sic, qui pauperiem veritus potiore metallis 
Libertate caret, dominum vehet improbus, atque 40 

Serviet aeternum, quia parvo nesciet uti. 
Cui non conveniet sua res, ut calceus olim, 
Si pede major erit, subvertet ; si minor, uret. 

Laetus sorte tua vives sapienter, Aristi ; 
Nee me dimittes incastigatum, ubi plura 45 

Cogere, quam satis est, ac non cessare videbor. 
Imperat, haud servit, collecta pecunia cuique, 
Tortum digna sequi potius quam ducere funem. 



EPISTOLARTJM LIB. I. 11 225 

Haec tibi dictabam post fanum putre Vacunae, 
Excepto quod non simul esses, cetera laetus. 50 

Epistola XI. 

AD BULLATIUM. 

Quid tibi visa Chios, Bullati, notaque Lesbos 1 

Quid concinna Samos ? quid Croesi regia Sardis ? 

Smyrna quid, et Colophon 1 majora minorave fama % 

Cunctane prae Carnpo et Tiberino fiumine sordent ? 

An venit in votum Attalicis ex urbibus una ? 5 

An Lebedum laudas odio maris atque viarum 1 

Scis, Lebedus quid sit ; Gabiis desertior atque 

Fidenis vicus : tamen illic vivere vellem, 

Oblitusque meorum, obliviscendus et illis, 

Neptunum procul e terra spectare furentem. 10 

Sed neque qui Capua Romam petit, imbre lutoque 

Adspersus, volet in caupona vivere, nee qui 

Frigus collegit, furnos et balnea laudat, 

Ut fortunatam plene praestantia vitam. 

Nee, si te validus jactaverit Auster in alto, 15 

Idcirco, navem trans Aegaeum mare vendas. 

Incolumi Rhodos et Mitylene pulchra facit, quod 
Paenula solstitio, campestre nivalibus auris, 
Per brumam Tiberis, Sextili mense caminus. 
Dum licet, ac vultum servat Fortuna benignum, 20 

Romae laudetur Samos et Chios et Rhodos absens. 
Tu, quamcunque deus tibi fortunaverit horam, 
Grata sume manu, neu dulcia differ in annum ; 
Ut, quocunque loco fueris, vixisse libenter 
Te dicas. Nam si ratio et prudentia curas, 25 

Non locus effusi late maris arbiter, aufert : 
Coelum, non animum mutant, qui trans mare currant. 
Strenua nos exercet inertia ; navibus atque 
Quadrigis petimus bene vivere. Quod petis, hie est, 
Est Ulubris, animus si te non deficit aequus. 30 



226 Q. HORATII FLACCl" 

Epistola XII, 

AD ICCIUM. 

Fructibus Agrippae Siculis, quos colligis, Icci, 

Si recte frueris, non est ut copia major 

Ab Jove donari possit tibi. Tolle querelas ; 

Pauper enim non est, cui remm suppetit usus. 

Si ventri bene, si lateri est pedibusque tuis, nil 5 

Divitiae poterunt regales addere majus. 

Si forte in medio positorum abstemius herbis 

Vivis et urtica, sic vives protinus, ut te 

Confestim liquidus Fortunae rivus inauret ; 

Vel quia naturam mutare pecunia nescit, 10 

Vel quia cuncta putas una virtute minora 

Miramur, si Democriti pecus edit agellos 
Cultaque, dum peregre est animus sine corpore velox ; 
duum tu inter scabiem tantam et contagia lucri 
Nil parvum sapias, et adhuc sublimia cures ; 15 

Q,uae mare compescant causae ; quid temperet annum ; 
Stellae sponte sua, jussaene vagentur et errent ; 
Q,uid premat obscurum Lunae, quid proferat orbem ; 
Q,uid velit et possit rerum concordia discors ; 
Empedocles, an Stertinium deliret acumen. 20 

Verum seu pisces, seu porrum et caepe trucidas, 
Utere Pompeio Grospho : et, si quid petet, ultro 
Defer ; nil Grosphus nisi verum orabit et aequum. 
Vilis amicorum est annona, bonis ubi quid deest. 

Ne tamen ignores, quo sit Romana loco res : 25 

Cantaber, Agrippae, Claud! virtute Neronis 
Armenius cecidit ; jus imperiumque Phrahates 
Caesaris accepit genibus minor ; aurea fruges 
Italiae pleno defudit Copia cornu. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 13. 14. 227 



Epistola XIII. 

AD VINIUM ASELLAM. 

Ut proficiscentem docui te saepe diuque, 

Augusto reddes signata volumina, Vini, 

Si validus, si laetus erit, si denique poscet ; 

Ne studio nostri pecces, odiumque libellis 

Sedulus importes opera vehemente minister. 5 

Si te forte meae gravis uret sarcina chartae, 

Abjicito potius, quam quo perferre juberis 

Clitellas ferus impingas, Asinaeque paternum 

Cognomen vertas in risum, et fabula fias. 

Viribus uteris per clivos, flumina, lamas : 10 

Victor propositi simul ac perveneris illuc, 

Sic positum servabis onus, ne forte sub ala 

Fasciculum portes librorum, ut rusticus agnum ; 

Ut vinosa glomus furtivae Pyrrhia lanae ; 

Ut cum pileolo soleas conviva tribulis. 15 

Neu vulgo narres te sudavis e ferendo 

Carmina, quae possint oculos auresque morari 

Caesaris ; oratus multa prece, nitere porro. 

Vade, vale, cave, ne titubes mandataque frangas. 

Epistola XIV.j 

AD VILLICUM SUUM. 

Villice silvarum et mihi me reddentis agelli, 

&uem tu fastidis, habitat um quinque focis, et 

duinque bonos solitum Variam dimittere patres ; 

Certemus, spinas animone ego fortius an tu 

Evellas agro, et melior sit Horatius an res. 5 

Me quamvis Lamiae pietas et cura moratur, 



228 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Fratrem moerentis, rapto de fratre dolentis 

Insolabiliter ; tamen istuc mens animusque 

Fert, et amat spatiis obstantia rumpere claustra. 

Rure ego viventem, tu dicis in urbe beatum. 10 

Cui placet alterius, sua nimirum est odio sors. 

Stultus uterque locum immeritum causatur inique ; 

In culpa est animus, qui se non effugit unquam. 

Tu mediastinus tacita prece rura petebas, 

Nunc urbem et ludos et balnea villicus optas. 15 

Me constare mihi scis, et discedere tristem, 

Gluandocunque trahunt invisa negotia Romam. 

Non eadem miramur ; eo disconvenit inter 

Meque et te ; nam, quae deserta et inhospita tesqua 

Credis, amoena vocat mecum qui sentit, et odit 20 

Quae tu pulchra putas. Fornix tibi et uncta popina 

Incutiunt urbis desiderium, video ; et quod 

Angulus iste feret piper et thus ocius uva ; 

Nee vicina subest vinum praebere taberna 

Quae possit tibi ; nee meretrix tibicina, cujus 25 

Ad strepitum salias terrae gravis : et tamen urgues 

Jampridem non tacta ligonibus arva, bovemque 

Disjunctum curas, et strictis frondibus exples. 

Addit opus pigro rivus, si decidit imber, 

Multa mole docendus aprico parcere prato. 30 

Nunc, age, quid nostrum concentum dividat, audi. 
Q,uem tenues decuere togae nitidique capilli, 
Quern scis immunem Cinarae placuisse rapaci, 
Q,uem bibulum liquidi media de luce Falerni, 
Coena brevis juvat, et prope rivum somnus in herba ; 35 
Nee lusisse pudet, sed non incidere ludum. 
Non istic obliquo oculo mea commoda quisquam 
Limat ; non odio obscuro morsuque venenat : 
Rident vicini glebas et saxa moventem. 
Cum servis urbana diaria rodere mavis ? 40 

Horum tu in numerum voto ruis 1 Invidet usum 
Lignorum et pecoris tibi cab argutus, et horti. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 15. 229 

Optat ephippia bos piger ; optat arare caballus. 
Q,uam scit uterque, libens, censebo, exerceat artem. 



Epistola XV. 
AD NUMONIUM VALAM. 

Quae sit hiems Veliae quod coelum, Vala, Salerni, 

Quorum hominum regio, et qualis via ; (nam mihi Baias 

Musa supervacuas Antonius, et tamen illis 

Me facit invisum, gelida quum peiiuor unda 

Per medium frigus. Sane myrteta relinqui, 5 

Dictaque cessantem nervis elidere morbum 

Sulfura contemni, vicus gemit, invidus aegris, 

Glui caput et stomachum supponere fontibus audent 

Clusinis, Gabiosque petunt et frigida rura. 

Mutandus locus est, et deversoria nota 10 

Praeteragendus equus. Quo tendis ? non mihi Cumas 

Est iter aut Baias, laeva stomachosus habena 

Dicet eques : sed equis frenato est auris in ore ;) 

Major utrum populum frumenti copia pascat ; 

Collectosne bibant imbres, puteosne perennes 15 

Jugis aquae ; (nam vina nihil moror illius orae. 

Rure meo possum quidvis perferre patique : 

Ad mare quum veni, generosum et lene requiro, 

Quod curas abigat, quod cum spe divite manet 

In venas animumque meum, quod verba ministret, 20 

Quod me Lucanaejuvenem commendet amicae ;) 

Tractus uter plures lepores, uter educet apros ; 

Utra rnagis pisces et echinos aequora celent, 

Pinguis ut inde domum possim Phaeaxque reverti : 

Scribere te nobis, tibi nos accredere, par est. 25 

Maenius, ut rebus maternis atque paternis 
Fortiter absumtis urbanus coepit haberi, 
Scurra vagus, non qui certum praesepe teneret, 
Impransus non qui civem dignosceret hoste ; 



230 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Gluaelibet in quemvis opprobria fingere saevus ; 30 

Pernicies et tempestas barathrumque macelli, 

Quidquid quaesierat, ventri donabat avaro. 

Hie, ubi nequitiae fautoribus et timidis nil 

Aut paulum abstulerat, patinas coenabat omasi, 

Vilis et agninae, tribus ursis quod satis esset ; 35 

Scilicet ut ventres lamna candente nepotum 

Diceret urendos, corrector Bestius. Idem 

Gluidquid erat nactus praedae rnajoris, ubi omne 

Verterat in fumum et cinerem, Non hercule miror 

Aiebat, si qui comedunt bona, quum sit obeso 40 

Nil melius turdo, nil vulva pulchrius ampla. 

Nimirum hie ego sum : nam tuta et parvula laudo, 

Q,uum res deficiunt, satis inter vilia fortis ; 

Verum, ubi quid melius contingit et unctius, idem 

Vos sapere et solos aio bene vivere, quorum 45 

Conspicitur nitidis fundata pecunia villis. 



Epistola XVI. 

AD aUINCTIUM. 

Ne perconteris, fundus meus, optime Cluincti, 
Arvo pascat herum, an baccis opulentet olivae, 
Pomisne, an pratis, an amicta vitibus ulmo : 
Scribetur tibi forma loquaciter, et situs agri. 

Continui montes, nisi dissocientur opaca 5 

Valle ; sed ut veniens dextrum latus adspiciat Sol, 
Laevum decedens curru fugiente vaporet. 
Temperiem laudes. Quid, si rubicunda benigni 
Coma vepres et prima ferunt 1 si quercus et ilex 
Multa fruge pecus, multa dominum juvat umbra ? 10 

Dicas adductum propius frondere Tarentum. 
Fons etiam rivo dare nomen idoneus, ut nee 
Frigidior Thracam nee purior ambiat Hebrus, 
Infirmo capiti fluit utilis, udlis alvo. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 16. 231 

Hae latebrae dulces, et jam, si credis, amoenae, 15 

Incolumem tibi me praestant Septembribus horis. 

Tu recte vivis, si curas esse quod audis ; 
Jactamus jampridem omnis te Roma beatum. 
Sed vereor, ne cm* de te plus, quam tibi credas ; 
Neve putes alium sapiente bonoque beatum ; 20 

Neu, si te populus sanum recteque valentem 
Dictitet, occultam febrem sub tempus edendi 
Dissimules, donee manibus tremor incidat unctis. 
Stultorum incurata pudor malus ulcera celat. 
Si quis bella tibi terra pugnata manque 25 

Dicat, et his verbis vacuas permulceat aures : 
Tene magis salvum populus velit, an populum tu, 
Servet in ambiguo, qui consulit, et tibi et urbi, 
Jupiter : Augusti laudes agnoscere possis. 
Q,uum pateris sapiens emendatusque vocari, 30 

Respondesne tuo, die sodes, nomine 1 — Nempe 
Vir bonus et prudens did detector ego ac tu. 
Glui dedit hoc hodie, eras, si volet, auferet ; ut si 
Detulerit fasces indigno, detrahet idem. 
Pone, meum est, inquit ; pono, tristisque recede 35 

Idem si clamet furem, neget esse pudicum, 
Contendat laqueo collum pressisse paternum ; 
Mordear opprobriis falsis, mutemque colores % 
Falsus honor juvat et mendax infamia terret 
Quern, nisi mendosum et medicandum ? Vir bonus est quis? — 40 
Qui consulta patrum, qui leges juraquc servat ; 
Quo multae magnaeque secantur judice lites ; 
Quo res sponsore, et quo causae teste tenentur. — 
Sed videt hunc omnis domus et vicinia tota 
Introrsus turpem, speciosum pelle decora. 45 

Nee furtum feci, necfugi, si mihi dicat 
Servus : Habes pretium, loris non ureris, aio. — 
Non hominem occidi. — JYon pasces in cruce corvos. — 
Sum bonus etfrugi. — Renuit negitatque Sabellus. 
Cautus enim metuit foveam lupus, accipiterque 50 

23 



232 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Suspectos laqueos, et opertum miluus hamum. 

Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore : 

Tu nihil admittes in te formidine poenae. 

Sit spes fallendi, miscebis sacra profanis. 

Nam de mille fabae modiis quum surripis unum, 55 

Damnum est, non facinus mihi pacto lenius isto. 

Vir bonus, omne forum quem spectat et omne tribunal, 

Q,uandocunque deos vel porco vel bove placat, 

Jane pater, clare, clare quum dixit Apollo, 

Labra movet metuens audiri : Pulchra Laverna, 60 

Da mihi fatter e, dajusto sanctoque videri ; 

Noctem peccatis, etfraudibus objice nubem. 

Glut melior servo, qui liberior sit avarus, 
In triviis fixum quum se demittit ob assem, 
Non video. Nam qui cupiet, metuet quoque ; porro 65 

Qui metuens vivet, Hber mihi non erit unquam. 
Perdidit arma, locum virtutis deseruit, qui 
Semper in augenda festinat et obruitur re. 
Vendere quum possis captivum, occidere noli ; 
Serviet utiliter ; sine pascat durus, aretque ; 70 

Naviget ac mediis hiemet mercator in undis ; 
Annonae prosit ; portet frumenta penusque. 

Vir bonus et sapiens audebit dicere : Pentheu, 
Rector Thebarum, quid me perferre patique 
Indignum coges ? — JLdimam bona. — Nempe pecus, rem, 75 
Lectos, argentum ; tollas licet. — In manicis et 
Compedibus saevo te sub custode tenebo. — 
Ipse deus, simid atque volam, me solvet. — Opinor, 
Hoc sentit : Moriar 3 mors ultima linea rerum est. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 17o 233 

Epistola XVII. 
AD SCAEVAM. 

Quamvis, Scaeva, satis per te tibi consulis, et scis, 

Quo tandem pacto deceat majoribus uti, 

Disce, docendus adhuc quae censet amiculus ; ut si 

Caecus iter monstrare velit : tamen aspice, si quid 

Et nos, quod cures proprium fecisse, loquamur. 5 

Si te grata quies et primam somnus in horam 
Delectat ; si te pulvis strepitusque rotarum, 
Si laedit caupona : Ferentinum ire jubebo. 
Nam neque divitibus contingunt gaudia solis, 
Nee vixit male, qui natus moriensque fefellit. 10 

Si prodesse tuis pauloque benigniu sips um 
Te tractare voles, accedes siccus ad unctum. 

Si pranderel olus patienter, regibus uti 
Nollef Jlristippus. — Si sciret regibus uti, 
Fastidiret olus, qui me notat. — Utrius horum 15 

Verba probes et facta, doce ; vel junior audi, 
Cur sit Aristippi potior sententia. Namque 
Mordacem Cynicum sic eludebat, ut aiunt : 
Scurror ego ipse mihi, populo tu : rectius hoc et 
Splendidius multo est. Equus ut me portet, alat rex. 20 

Officium facio : tuposcis villa rerum 
Dante minor, quamvisfers te nullius egentem. 

Omnis Aristippum decuit color et status et res, 
Tentantem majora, fere praesentibus aequum. 
Contra, quern duplici panno patientia velat, 25 

Mirabor, vitae via si conversa decebit. 
Alter purpureum non exspectabit amictum, 
Q-uidlibet indutus celeberrima per loca vadet, 
Personamque feret non inconcinnus utramque : 
Alter Mileti textam cane pejus et angui 30 



234 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Vitabit chlamydem ; morietur frigore, si non 
Retuleris pannum : refer, et sine vivat ineptus. 

Res gerere et captos ostendere civibus hostes 
Attmgit solium Jovis et coelestia tentat. 
Principibus placuisse viris non ultima laus est. 35 

Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum. 
Sedit, qui timuit ne non succederet : esto : 
Gluid ? qui pervenit, fecitne viriliter 1 Atqui 
Hie est aut nusquam, quod quaerimus : hie onus horret, 
Ut parvis animis et parvo corpore majus ; 
Hie subit et perfert. Aut virtus nomen inane est, 
Aut decus et pretium recte petit experiens vir. 

Coram rege suo de paupertate tacentes 
Plus poscente ferent. Distat, sumasne pudenter, 
An rapias : atqui rerum caput hoc erat, hie fons. 45 

Indotata mihi soror est, paupercula mater, 
Et fundus nee vendibilis nee pascere jirmus, 
Q,ui dicit, clamat : Victum date. Succinit alter, 
Et mihi dividuo Jindetur munere quadra. 
Sed tacitus pasci si posset corvus, haberet 50 

Plus dapis et rixae multo minus invidiaeque. 
Brundisium comes aut Surrentum ductus amoenum, 
Q/ui queritur salebras et acerbum frigus et imbres, 
Aut cistam effractam aut subducta viatica plorat, 
Nota refert meretricis acumina, saepe catellam, 55 

Saepe periscelidem raptam sibi flentis : uti mox 
Nulla fides damnis verisque doloribus adsit. 
Nee semel irrisus triviis attollere curat 
Fracto crure planum ; licet illi plurima manet 
Lacrima ; per sanctum juratus dicat Osirin, 60 

Credite, non ludo ; crudeles tollite claudum I — 
Quaere peregrinum, vicinia rauca reclamat. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 18. 235 

Epistola XVIII. 

AD LOLLIUM. 

Si bene te novi, metues, liberrime Lolli, 
Scurrantis speciem praebere, professus amicum. 
Ut matrona meretrici dispar erit atque 
Discolor, infido scurrae distabit amicus. 

Est huic diversum vitio vitium prope majus, 5 

Asperitas agrestis et inconcinna gravisque, 
Q,uae se commendat tonsa cute, dentibus atris, 
Dum vult libertas dici mera, veraque virtus. 
Virtus est medium vitiorum, et utrinque reductum. 
Alter in obsequium plus aequo pronus, et imi 10 

Derisor lecti, sic nutum divitis horret, 
Sic iterat voces, et verba cadentia tollit, 
Ut puerum saevo credas dictata magistro 
Reddere, vel partes mimum tractare secundas : 
Alter rixatur de lana saepe caprina, et 15 

Propugnat nugis armatus ; scilicet, ut non 
Sit mihi prima fides, et vere quod placet ut non 
Jicriter elatrem, pretium aetas altera sordeL 
Ambigitur quid enim 1 Castor sciat an Dolichos plus ; 
Brundisium Minuet melius via ducat, an Appi. 20 

Quern damnosa Venus, quern praeceps alea nudat, 
Gloria quern supra vires et vestit et ungit, 
Quern tenet argenti sitis importuna famesque, 
Cluem paupertatis pudor et fuga, dives amicus, 
Saepe decern vitiis instructor, odit et horret : 25 

Aut, si non odit, regit ; ac, veluti pia mater, 
Plus quam se sapere et virtutibus esse priorem 
Vult : et ait probe vera : Meae (contendere noli) 
Skdtitiampatiuntur opes ; tibi parvida res est : 
Jircta decel sanum comitem toga ; desine mecum 30 

23* 



236 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Certare. Eutrapelus, cuicunque nocere volebat 

Vestimenta dabat pretiosa : beatus enim jam 

Cum pulchris tunicis sumet nova consilia et spes ; 

Dormiet in lucem ; scorto postponet honestum 

Officium ; nummos alienos pascet ; ad imum 35 

Threx erit, aut olitoris aget mercede caballum. 

Arcanum neque tu scrutaberis illius unquam, 
Commissumque teges, et vino tortus et ira. 
Nee tua laudabis studia, aut aliena reprendes ; 
Nee, quum venari volet ille, poemata panges. 40 

Gratia sic fratrum geminorum, Amphionis atque 
Zethi, dissiluit, donee suspecta severo 
Conticuit lyra. Fraternis cessisse putatur 
Moribus Amphion : tu cede potentis amici 
Lenibus imperiis ; quotiesque educet in agros 45 

Aetolis onerata plagis jumenta canesque, 
Surge, et inhumanae senium depone Camenae, 
Coenes ut pariter pulmenta laboribus emta ; 
Romanis solenne viris opus, utile famae, 
Vitaeque et membris ; praesertim quum valeas, et 50 

Vel cursu superare canem vel viribus aprum 
Possis : adde, virilia quod speciosius arma 
Non est qui tractet ; scis, quo clamore coronae 
Proelia sustineas campestria : denique saevam 
Militiam puer et Cantabrica bella tulisti 55 

Sub duce, qui templis Parthorum signa refigit 
Nunc, et si quid abest, Italis adjudicat armis. 
Ac, ne te retrahas, et inexcusabilis abstes, 
Gluamvis nil extra numerum fecisse modumque 
Curas, interdum nugaris rure paterno : 60 

Partitur lintres exercitus ; Actia pugna 
Te duce per pueros hostili more refertur ; 
Adversarius est frater ; lacus Hadria ; donee 
Alterutrum velox Victoria fronde coronet. 
Consentire suis studiis qui crediderit te, 65 

Fautor utroque tuum laudabit pollice ludum. 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. IS. 237 

Protinus ut moneam (si quid monitoris eges tu) 
Q,uid, de quoque viro, et cui dicas, saepe videto. 
Percontatorem fugito : nam garrulus idem est ; 
Nee retinent patulae commissa fideliter aures ; 70 

Et semel emissum volat irrevocable verbum. 
Non ancilla tuum jecur ulceret ulla puerve 
Intra marmoreum venerandi limen amici ; 
Ne dominus pueri pulchri caraeve puellae 
Munere te parvo beet, aut incommodus angat. 75 

dualem commendes, etiam atque etiam adspice ; ne mox 
Incutiant aliena tibi peccata pudorem. 
Fallimur, et quondam non dignum tradimus : ergo 
Gluem sua culpa premet, deceptus omitte tueri ; 
At penitus notum, si tentent crimina, serves, 80 

Tuterisque tuo fidentem praesidio : qui 
Dente Theonino quum circumroditur, ecquid 
Ad te post paulo ventura pericula sentis 1 
Nam tua res agitur, paries quum proximus arde* ' 
Et neglecta solent incendia sumere vires. 85 

Dulcis inexpertis cultura potentis amici, 
Expertus metuit. Tu, dum tua navis in alto est, 
Hoc age, ne mutata retrorsum te ferat aura. 
Oderunt hilarem tristes, tristemque jocosi ; 
Sedatum celeres, agilem gnavumque remissi ; 90 

Potores bibuli media de nocte Falerni 
Oderunt porrecta negantem pocula, quamvis 
Nocturnos jures te formidare vapores. 
Deme supercilio nubem : plerumque modestus 
Occupat obscuri speciem, tacitumus acerbi. 95 

Inter cuncta leges et percontabere doctos, 
Q,ua ratione queas traducere leniter aevum, 
Ne te semper inops agitet vexetque cupido, 
Ne pavor, et rerum mediocriter utilium spes ; 
Yirtutem doctrina paret, naturane donet ; 100 

Quid minuat curas, quid te tibi reddat amicum ; 



238 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Quid pure tranquillet, honos, an dulce lucellum, 
An secretum iter, et fallentis semita vitae. 

Me quoties reflcit gelidus Digentia rivus, 
Q,uem Mandela bibit, rugosus frigore pagus, 105 

Quid sentire putas 1 quid credis, amice, precari 1 
Sit mihi, quod nunc est ; etiam minus : et mihi vivam 
Quod superest aevi, si quid superesse volunt dt : 
Sit bona librorum et provisae frugis in annum 
Copia ; neu jluitem dubiae spe pendulus horae. 110 

Sed satis est orare Jovem, quae donat et aufert : 
Det vitam, det opes ; aequum mi animum ipse parabo. 

Epistola XIX. 

AD MAECENATEM. 

Prisco si credis, Maecenas docte, Cratino, 

Nulla placere diu nee vivere carmina possunt 

Quae scribuntur aquae potoribus. Ut male sanos 

Adscripsit Liber Satyris Faunisque poetas, 

Vina fere dulces oluerunt mane Camenae. 5 

Laudibus arguitur vini vinosus Homerus ; 

Ennius ipse pater nunquam nisi potus ad arma 

Prosiluit dicenda. Forum putealque Libonis 

JVLandabo siccis, adimam cantare severis. 

Hoc simul edixi, non cessavere poetae 10 

Nocturno certare mero, putere diurno. 

Quid ? si quis vultu torvo ferus, et pede nudo, 
Exiguaque toga, simuletque ex ore Catonem, 
Virtutemne repraesentet moresque Catonis ? 
Rupit Iarbitam Timagenis aemula lingua, 15 

Dum studet urbanus, tenditque disertus haberi. 
Decipit exemplar vitiis imitabile : quod si 
Pallerem casu, biberent exsangue cuminum. 
O imitatores, servum pecus, ut mihi saepe 
Bilem, saepe jocum vestri movere tumultus ! 20 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. I. 19. 239 

Libera per vacuum posui vestigia princeps ; 

Non aliena meo pressi pede. Q,ui sibi fidit, 

Dux regit examen. Parios ego primus iambos 

Ostendi Latio, numeros animosque secutus 

Archilochi, non res et agentia verba Lycamben. 25 

Ac, ne me foliis ideo brevioribus ornes, 

&uod timui mutare modos et carminis artem : 

Temperat Archilochi musam pede mascula Sappho, 

Temperat Alcaeus ; sed rebus et ordine dispar, 

Nee socerum quaerit, quern versibus oblinat atris, 30 

Nee sponsae laqueum famoso carmine nectit. 

Hunc ego, non alio dictum prius ore, Latinus 

Vulgavi fidicen : juvat immemorata ferentem 

Ingenuis oculisque legi manibusque teneri. 

Scire velis, mea cur ingratus opuscula lector 35 

Laudet ametque domi, premat extra limen iniquus ? 
Non ego ventosae plebis surTragia venor 
Impensis coenarum et tritae munere vestis ; 
Non ego, nobilium scriptorum auditor et ultor, 
Grammaticas ambire tribus et pulpita dignor : 40 

Hinc illae lacrimae ! Spissis indigna theatris 
Scripta pudet recitare, et nugis addere pond us, 
Si dixi : Rides, ait, et Jovis auribus ista 
Servas ; Jidis enim manare poetica metta 
Te solum, tibi pulcher. Ad haec ego naribus uti 45 

Formido ; et, luctantis acuto ne secer ungui, 
Displicet iste locus, clamo, et diludia posco. 
Ludus enim genuit trepidum certamen et iram, 
Ira truces inimicitias et funebre bellum. 



240 Q, HORATII FLACCI 

Epistola XX. 
AD LIBRUM SUUM. 

Vertumnum Janumque, liber, spectare videris j 

Scilicet ut prostes Sosiorum pumice mundus. 

Odisti claves, et grata sigilla pudico ; 

Paucis ostendi gemis, et communia laudas ; 

Non ita nutritus ! Fuge quo descendere gestis, 6 

Non erit emisso reditus tibi. Quid miser egi ? 

Quid volui ? dices, ubi quid te laeserit ; et scis 

In breve te cogi, plenus quum languet amator. 

Gluod si non odio peccantis desipit augur, 

Carus eris Romae, donee te deserat aetas. 10 

Contrectatus ubi manibus sordescere vulgi 

Coeperis, aut tineas pasces taciturnus inertes, 

Aut fugies Uticam, aut vinctus mitteris Ilerdam. 

Ridebit monitor non exauditus ; ut ille, 

Q,ui male parentem in rupes protrusit asellum 15 

Iratus : quis enim invitum servare laboret ? 

Hoc quoque te manet, ut pueros elementa docentem 

Occupet extremis in vicis balba senectus. 

Gluum tibi sol tepidus pl'ures admoverit aures, 

Me libertino natum patre, et in tenui re 20 

Majores pennas nido extendisse loqueris : 

Ut, quantum generi demas, virtutibus addas. 

Me primis Urbis belii placuisse domique, 

Corporis exigui, praecanum, solibus aptum, 

Irasci celerem, tamen ut placabilis essem. 25 

Forte meum si quis te percontabitur aevum, 

Me quater undenos sciat implevisse Decembres, 

Collegam Lepidum quo duxit Lollius anno. 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

EPISTOLARUM 

LIBER SECUNDUS. 



Epistola I. 
AD AUGUSTUM. 



Quum tot sustineas et tanta negotia solus, 

Res Italas armis tuteris, moribus ornes, 

Legibus emendes ; in publica commoda peccem, 

Si longo sermone morer tua tempora, Caesar. 

Romulus, et Liber pater, et cum Castore Pollux, 6 

Post ingentia facta deorum in templa recepti, 

Dum terras hominumque colunt genus, aspera bella 

Componunt, agros assignant, oppida condunt, 

Ploravere suis non respondere favorem 

Speratum meritis. Diram qui contudit hydram, 10 

Notaque fatali portenta labore subegit, 

Comperit invidiam supremo fine domari. 

Urit enim fulgore suo, qui praegravat artes 

Infra se positas : exstinctus amabitur idem. 

Praesenti tibi maturos largimur honores, 15 

Jurandasque tuurn per numen ponimus aras, 

Nil oriturum alias, nil ortum tale fatentes. 

Sed tuus hie populus, sapiens et Justus in uno, 
Te nostris ducibus, te Graiis anteferendo, 
Cetera nequaquam simili ratione modoque 20 



242 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Aestimat, et, nisi quae terris semota suisque 

Temporibus defuncta videt, fastidit et odit : 

Sic fautor veterum, ut tabulas peccare vetantes, 

Q-uas bis quinque vi'ri sanxerunt, foedera regum 

Vel Gabiis vel cum rigidis aequata Sabinis, 25 

Pontificum libros, annosa volumina vatum, 

Dictitet Albano Musas in monte locutas. 

Si, quia Graiorum sunt antiquissima quaeque 
Scripta vel optima, Romani pensantur eadem 
Scriptores trutina, non est quod multa loquamur : 30 

Nil intra est olea, nil extra est in nuce duri. 
Venimus ad summum fortunae : pingimus atque 
Psallimus, et luctamur Achivis doctius unctis. 

Si meliora dies, ut vina, poemata reddit, 
Scire velim, pretium chartis quotus arroget annus. 35 

Scriptor abhinc annos centum qui decidit, inter 
Perfectos veteresque referri debet ? an inter 
Viles atque novos 1 excludat jurgia finis. — 
Est vetus atque probus, centum qui perjicit annos. — 
Q,uid 1 qui deperiit minor uno mense vel anno, 40 

Inter quos referendus erit ? veteresne poetas ? 
An quos et praesens et postera respuat aetas 1 — 
Iste quidem veteres inter ponetur honeste, 
Qui vel mense brevi vel toto est junior anno. — 
Utor permisso, caudaeque pilos ut equinae, 45 

Paulatim vello, et demo unum, demo et item unum, 
Dum cadat elusus ratione ruentis acervi, 
Q,ui redit in fastos, et virtutem aestimat annis, 
Miraturque nihil, nisi quod Libitina sacra vit. 

Ennius, et sapiens et fortis, et alter Homerus, ' 50 

Ut critici dicunt, leviter curare videtur, 
Quo promissa cadant et somnia Pythagorea. 
Naevius in manibus non est, et mentibus haeret 
Paene recens 1 adeo sanctum est vetus omne poema. 
Ambigitur quoties uter utro sit prior ; aufert 55 

Pacuvius docti famam senis, Accius alti : 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. II. 1. 243 

Dicitur Arrani toga convenisse Menandro ; 

Plautus ad exemplar Siculi properare Epicharmi ; 

Vincere Caecilius gravitate, Terentius arte. 

Hos ediscit, et hos arcto stipata theatro 60 

Spectat Roma potens, habet hos numeratque poetas 

Ad nostrum tempus Livi scriptoris ab aevo. 

Interdum vulgus rectum videt ; est ubi peccat. 
Si veteres ita miratur laudatque poetas, 
Ut nihil anteferat, nihil illis comparet, errat : 65 

Si quaedam nimis antique, si pleraque dure 
Dicere cedit eos, ignave multa fatetur, 
Et sapit, et mecum facit, et Jove judicat aequo. 

Non equidem insector delendave carmina Livt 
Esse reor, memini quae plagosum mihi parvo 70 

Orbihum dictare : sed emendata videri 
Pulchraque et exactis minimum distantia miror. 
Inter quae verbum emicuit si forte decorum, 
Si versus paulo concinnior unus et alter, 
Injuste to turn ducit venditque poema. 75 

Indignor quidquam reprehendi, non quia crasse 
Compositum illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper ; 
Nee veniam antiquis, sed honorem et praemia posci. 
Recte necne crocum floresque perambulet Attae 
Fabula si dubitem, clament periisse pudorem 80 

Cuncti paene patres, ea quum reprehendere coner, 
Quae gravis Aesopus, quae doctus Roscius egit : 
Vel quia nil rectum, nisi quod placuit sibi, ducunt ; 
Vel quia turpe putant parere minoribus, et, quae 
Imberbi didicere, senes perdenda faten. 85 

Jam Saliare Numae carmen qui laudat, et illud, 
Quod mecum ignorat, solus vult scire videri : 
Ingeniis non ille fa vet plauditque sepultis, 
Nostra sed impugnat, nos nostraque lividus odit. 
Gluod si tarn Graiis novitas invisa fuisset, 90 

Gluam nobis, quid nunc esset vetus % aut quid haberet, 
Gluod legeret tereretque viritim publicus usus ! 
24 



244 Q,. HORATII FLACCI 

Ut primum positis nugari Graecia bellis 
Coepit, et in vitium fortuna labier aequa, 
Nunc athletarum studiis, nunc arsit equorum ; 95 

Marmoris aut eboris fabros aut aeris amavit ; 
Suspendit picta vultum mentemque tabella ; 
Nunc tibicinibus, nunc est gavisa tragoedis : 
Sub nutrice puella velut si luderet infans, 
Quod cupide petiit, mature plena reliquit. 100 

Quid placet aut odio est, quod non mutabile credas ? 
Hoc paces habuere bonae ventique secundi. 

Romae dulce diu fuit et solenne, reclusa 
Mane domo vigilare, clienti promere jura, 
Cautos nominibus rectis expendere nummos, 105 

Majores audire, minori dicere, per quae 
Crescere res posset, minui damnosa libido. 
Mutavit mentem populus levis, et calet uno 
Scribendi studio : puerique patresque severi 
Fronde comas vincti coenant, et carmina dictant. 110 

[pse ego, qui nullos me affirmo scribere versus, 
Invenior Parthis mendacior ; et, prius orto 
Sole vigil, calamum et chartas et scrinia posco. 
Navim agere ignarus navis timet ; abrotonum aegro 
Non audet, nisi qui didicit, dare : quod medicorum est, 1 15 
Promittunt medici ; tractant fabrilia fabri : 
Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim. 

Hie error tamen, et levis haec insania, quantas 
Virtutes habeat, sic collige : vatis avarus 
Non temere est animus ; versus amat, hoc studet unum ; 120 
Detrimenta, fugas servorum, incendia ridet ; 
Non fraudem socio, puerove incogitat ullam 
Pupillo ; vivit siliquis et pane secundo. 
Militiae quamquam piger et malus, utilis urbi ; 
Si das hoc, parvis quoque rebus magna juvari. 125 

Os tenerum pueri balbumque poeta figurat ; 
Torquet ab obscoenis jam nunc sermonibus aurem, 
Mox etiam pectus praeceptis format amicis, 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. II. 1. 245 

Asperitatis et invidiae corrector et irae ; 

Recte facta refert ; orientia tempora notis 130 

Instruit exemplis ; inopem solatur et aegrum. 

Castis cum pueris ignara puella mariti 

Disceret unde preces, vatem ni Musa dedisset 1 

Poscit opem chorus, et praesentia numina sentit ; 

Coelestes implorat aquas, docta prece blandus 135 

Avertit morbos, metuenda pericula pellit ; 

Impetrat et pacem, et locupletem frugibus annum. 

Carmine di superi placantur, carmine manes. 

Agricolae prisci, fortes, parvoque beati, 
Condita post frumenta, levantes tempore festo 140 

Corpus, et ipsum animum spe finis dura ferentem, 
Cum sociis operum, pueris, et conjuge fida, 
Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant, 
Floribus et vino Genium, memorem brevis aevi. 
Fescennina per hunc invecta licentia morem 145 

Versibus alternis opprobria rustica fudit ; 
Libertasque recurrentes accepta per annos 
Lusit amabiliter, donee jam saevus apertam 
In rabiem verti coepit jocus, et per honestas 
Ire domos impune minax. Doluere cruento 150 

Dente lacessiti ; fait intactis quoque cura 
Conditione super communi ; quin etiam lex 
Poenaque lata, malo quae nollet carmine quemquam 
Describi. Vertere modum, formidine fustis 
Ad bene dicendum delectandumque redacti. 155 

Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit, et artes 
Intulit agresti Latio : sic horridus ille 
Defluxit numerus Saturnius ; et grave virus 
Munditiae pepulere : sed in longum tamen aevum 
Manserunt hodieque manent vestigia ruris. 100 

Serus enim Graecis admovit acumina chartis ; 
Et post Punica bella quietus quaerere coepit, 
Quid Sophocles et Thespis et Aeschylus utile ferrent. 
Tentavit quoque rem, si digne vertere posset ; 



246 Q, HORATII FLACCr 

Et placuit sibi, natura sublimis et acer ; 165 

Nam spirat tragicum satis, et feliciter audet ; 
Seel turpem putat inscite metuitque lituram. 

Creditur, ex medio quia res arcessit, habere 
Sudoris minimum, sed habet Comoedia tanto 
Plus oneris, quanta veniae minus. Adspice, Plautus 170 
Q,uo pacta partes tutetur amantis ephebi ; 
Ut patris attenti ; lenonis ut insidiosi : 
Gluantus sit Dossennus edacibus in parasitis ; 
Q,uam non adstricto percurrat pulpita socco. 
Gestit enim nummum in loculos demittere, post hoc 175 

Securus, cadat an recto stet fabula talo. 
Q-uem tulit ad scenam ventoso Gloria curru, 
Exanimat lentus spectator, sedulus inflat. 
Sic leve, sic parvum est, animum quod laudis avarum 
Submit ac reficit. Valeat res ludicra, si me 180 

Palma negata macrum, donata reducit opimum. 

Saepe etiam audacem fugat hoc terretque poetam. 
Q,uod numero plures, virtute et honore minores, 
Indocti stolidique, et depugnare parati, 
Si discordet eques, media inter carmina poscunt 185 

Aut ursum aut pugiles : his nam plebecula gaudet. 
Verum equitis quoque jam migravit ab aure voluptas 
Omnis ad incertos oculos et gaudia vana. 
Q,uatuor aut plures aulaea premuntur in horas, 
Dum fugiunt equitum turmae peditumque catervae ; 190 
Mox trahitur manibus regum fortuna retortis ; 
Esseda festinant, pilenta, petorrita, naves ; 
Captivum portatur ebur, captiva Corinthus. 

Si foret in terris, rideret Democritus ; seu 
Diversum confusa genus panthera camelo, 195 

Sive elephas albus vulgi converteret ora : 
Spectaret populum ludis attentius ipsis, 
Ut sibi praebentem mimo spectacula plura. 
Scriptores autem narrare putaret asello 
Fabellam surdo. Nam quae pervincere voces 200 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. II. 1. 247 

Evaluere sonum, referunt quern nostra theatra 7 

Garganum mugire putes nemus, aut mare Tuscum : 

Tanto cum strepitu ludi spectantur, et artes, 

Divitiaeque peregrinae ; quibus oblitus actor 

Gluum stetit in scena, concurrit dextera laevae. 205 

Dixit adhuc aliquid 1 — Nil sane. — Quid placet ergo 1 — 

Lana Tarentino violas imitata veneno. 

Ac ne forte putes, me, quae facere ipse recusem, 
Gluum recte tractent alii, laudare maligne ; 
Me per extentum funem mihi posse videtur 210 

Ire poeta : meum qui pectus inaniter angit, 
Irritat, mulcet, falsis terroribus implet, 
Ut magus, et modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis. 
Verum age, et his, qui se lectori credere malunt, 
Gluam spectatoris fastidia ferre superbi, 215 

Curam redde brevem, si munus Apolline dignum 
Vis complere libris, et vatibus addere calcar, 
Ut studio majore petant Helicona virentem. 

Multa quidem nobis facimus mala saepe poetae, 
(Ut vineta egomet caedam mea) quum tibi librum 220 

Sollicito damus aut fesso ; quum laedimur, unum 
Si quis amicorum est ausus reprendere versum ; 
Quum loca jam recitata revolvimus irrevocati ; 
Gluum lamentamur, non apparere labores 
Nostros, et tenui deducta poemata filo ; 225 

Gluum speramus eo rem venturam, ut simul atque 
. Carmina rescieris nos fingere, commodus ultro 
Arcessas, et egere vetes, et scribere cogas. 
Sed tamen est operae pretium cognoscere, quales 
Aedituos habeat belli spectata domique 230 

Virtus, indigno non committenda poetae. 

Gratus Alexandro regi Magno fuit ille 
Choerilus, incultis qui versibus et male natis 
Retulit acceptos, regale numisma, Philippos. 
Sed veluti tractata notam labemque remittunt 235 

Atramenta, fere scriptores carmine foedo 
24* 



248 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Splendida facta linunt. Idem rex ille, poema 

Qui tarn ridiculum tam care prodigus emit, 

Edicto vetuit, ne quis se, praeter Apellem, 

Pingeret, aut alius Lysippo duceret aera 240 

Fortis Alexandri vultum simulantia. Quod si 

Judicium subtile videndis artibus illud 

Ad libros et ad haec Musarum dona vocares, 

Boeotum in crasso jurares aere natum. 

At neque dedecorant tua de se judicia, atque 245 

Munera, quae multa dantis cum laude tulerunt, 
Dilecti tibi Virgilius Variusque poetae ; 
Nee magis expressi vultus per aenea signa, 
Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum 
Clarorum apparent. Nee sermones ego mallem 250 

Kepentes per humum, quam res componere gestas ; 
Terrarumque situs et flumina dicere, et arces 
Montibus impositas, et barbara regna, tuisque 
Auspiciis totum confecta duella per orbem, 
Claustraque custodem pacis cohibentia Janum, 255 

Et formidatam Parthis te principe Romam ; 
Si, quantum cuperem, possem quoque. Sed neque parvum 
Carmen majestas recipit tua, nee meus audet 
Rem tentare pudor, quam vires ferre recusent. 
Sedulitas autem stulte, quern diligit, urguet, 260 

Praecipue quum se numeris commendat et arte : 
Discit enim citius meminitque libentius illud, 
Quod quis deridet, quam quod probat et veneratur. 
Nil moror ofneium quod me gravat, ac neque ficto 
In pejus vultu proponi cereus usquam, 265 

Nee prave factis decorari versibus opto : 
Ne rubeam pingui donatus munere, et una 
Cum scriptore meo, capsa porrectus aperta, 
Deferar in vicum vendentem thus et ordores 
Et piper et quidquid chartis amicitur ineptis. 270 



rEPISTOLARUM LIB. II. 2. 249 



Epistola II. 

AD JULIUM FLORUM. 

Flore, bono claroque fidelis amice Neroni, 

Si quis forte velit puerum tibi vendere, natum 

Tibure vel Gabiis, et tecum sic agat : Hie et 

Candidas, et talos a vertice pulcher ad imos, 

Fiet eritque tuus nummorum millihus octo, 5 

Verna ministeriis ad nutus aptus heriles, 

Literulis Graecis imbutus, idoneus arti 

Cuilibel, argilla quidvis imitaberis uda ; 

Quin etiam canet indoctum, sed dulce bibenti. 

J\Iulta fidem promissa levant, ubi plenius aequo 10 

Laudat venales, qui vult extruderc, merces. 

Res urguet me nulla ; meo sum pauper in aere : 

Nemo hoc mangonum faceret tibi : non temere a me 

Quivis ferret idem : semel hie cessavit, et, utjit, 

In scalis latuit metuens pendentis habenae. 16 

Des nummos, excepta nihil te sifuga laedit. 

Ille ferat pretium, poenae securus, opinor. 

Prudens emisti vitiosum ; dicta tibi est lex : 

Insequeris tamen hunc, et lite moraris iniqua. 

Dixi me pigrum proficiscenti tibi, dixi 20 

Talibus officiis prope mancum ; ne mea saevus 
Jurgares ad te quod epistola nulla veniret. 
Q,uid turn profeci, mecum facientia jura " 
Si tamen attentas ? Q,uereris super hoc etiam, quod 
Exspectata tibi non mittam carmina mendax. 25 ' 

Luculli miles collecta viatica multis 
Aerumnis, lassus dum noctu stertit, ad assem 
Perdiderat : post hoc vehemens lupus, et sibi et hosti 
Iratus pariter, jejunis dentibus acer, 
Praesidium regale loco dejecit, ut aiunt, 30 



250 Q. HORATH FLACCI 

Summe munito et multarum divite rerum. 

Clarus ob id factum, donis ornatur honestis ; 

Accipit et bis dena super sestertia nummum. 

Forte sub hoc t empus castellum evertere praetor 

Nescio quod cupiens, hortari coepit eundem 35 

Verbis, quae timido quoque possent addere mentem : 

7, bone, quo virtus tua te vocat. I pedefausto, 

Grandia laturus meritorum praemia ! Quid stas ? 

Post haec ille catus, quantumvis rusticus, Ibit, 

Ibit eo quo vis, qui zonam perdidit, inquit. 40 

. Romae nutriri mihi contigit atque doceri 

Iratus Graiis quantum nocuisset Achilles : 

Adjecere bonae paulo plus artis Athenae ; - . 

Scilicet ut possem curvo dignoscere rectum, 

Atque inter silvas Academi quaerere verum. 45 

Dura sed emovere loco me tempora grato, 

Civilisque rudem belli tulit aestus in arma, 

Caesaris Augusti non responsura lacertis. 

Unde simul primum me dimisere Philippi, 

Decisis humilem pennis, inopemque paterni 50 

Et laris et fundi, paupertas impulit audax 

Ut versus facerem : sed, quod non desit, habentem 

Q,uae poterunt unquam satis expurgare cicutae, 

Ni melius dormire putem quam scribere versus ? 

Singula de nobis anni praedantur euntes ; 55 

Eripuere jocos, Venerem, convivia, ludum ; 
Tendunt extorquere poemata : quid faciam vis ? 
Denique non omnes eadem mirantur amantque : 
Carmine tu gaudes ; hie delectatur iambis ; 
Ille Bioneis sermonibus et sale nigro. 60 

Tres mihi convivae prope dissentire videntur, 
Poscentes vario multum diversa palato. 
Q,uid dem 1 quid non dem ? Renuis quod tu, jubet alter ; 
Q,uod petis, id sane est invisum acidumque duobus. 

Praeter cetera, me Romaene poemata censes 65 

Scribere posse, inter tot curas totque labores ? 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. II. 2. 251 

Hie sponsum vocat, hie auditum scripta relictis 
Omnibus officiis : cubat hie in colle Gluirini, 
Hie extremo in Aventino ; visendus uterque : 
Intervalla vides humane commoda. — Verum 70 

Purae sunt plateae, nihil ut meditantibus obstet. — 
Festinat calidus mulis gerulisque redemtor ; 
Torquet nunc lapidem, nunc ingens machina tignum : 
Tristia robustis luctantur funera plaustris ; 
Hac rabiosa fugit canis, hac lutulenta ruit sus : 75 

I nunc, et versus tecum meditare canoros. 
Scriptorum chorus omnis amat nemus, et fugit urbes, 
Rite cliens Bacchi, somno gaudentis et umbra. 
Tu me inter strepitus nocturnos atque diurnos 
Vis canere, et contacta sequi vestigia vatum 1 80 

Ingenium, sibi quod vacuas desumsit Athenas, 
Et studiis annos septem dedit, insenuitque 
Libris et curis, statua taciturnius exit 
Plerumque, et risu populum quatit : hie ego rerum 
Fluctibus in mediis, et tempestatibus urbis, 85 

Verba lyrae motura sonum connectere digner 1 
Auctor erat Romae consulto rhetor, ut alter 
Alterius sermone meros audiret honores ; 
Gracchus ut hie ilk' foret, huic ut Mucius ille. 
Qui minus argutos vexat furor iste poetas ? 90 

Carmina compono, hie elegos ; mirabile visu 
Caelatumque novem Musis opus ! Adspice primum, 
Q,uanto cum fastu, quanto molimine circum- 
Spectemus vacuam Romanis vatibus aedem ! 
Mox etiam, si forte vacas, sequere, et procul audi, 95 

Q,uid ferat et quare sibi nectat uterque coronam. 
Caedimur, et totidem plagis consumimus hostem, 
Lento Samnites ad lumina prima duello. 
Discedo Alcaeus puncto illius : ille meo quis 1 
Q,lus, nisi Callimachus 1 si plus adposcere visus, 100 

Fit Mimnermus, et optivo cognomine crescit. 
Multa fero, ut placem genus initabile vatum, 



252 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Q,uum scribo, et supplex populi suffragia capto : 

Idem, finitis studiis et mente recepta, 

Obturem patulas irnpune legentibus aures. ] 05 

Ridentur mala qui component carmina : verum 

Gaudent scribentes, et se venerantur, et ultro, 

Si taceas, laud»ant quidquid scripsere, bead. 

At qui legitimum cupiet fecisse poema, 
Cum tabulis animum censoris sumet honesti ; 110 

Audebit quaecunque parum splendoris habebunt, 
Et sine pondere erunt, et honore indigna ferentur, 
Verba movere loco, quamvis invita recedant, 
Et versentur adhuc intra penetralia Vestae. 
Obscurata diu populo bonus eruet, atque 115 

Proferet in lucem speciosa vocabula rerum, 
Quae, priscis memorata Catonibus atque Cethegis, 
Nunc situs informis premit et deserta vetustas : 
Adsciscet nova, quae genitor produxerit usus. 
Vehemens et liquidus, puroque simillimus amni, 120 

Fundet opes, Latiumque beabit divite lingua. 
Luxuriantia compescet, nimis aspera sano 
Levabit cultu, virtute carentia toilet : 
Ludentis speciem dabit, et torquebitur, ut qui 
Nunc Satyrum nunc agrestem Cyclopa movetur. 125 

Praetulerim scriptor delirus inersque videri, 
Dum mea delectent mala me, vel denique fallant, 
Q,uam sapere et ringi. Fuit haud ignobibs Argis, 
Q,ui se credebat miros audire tragoedos, 
In vacuo laetus sessor plausorque theatro ; 130 

Cetera qui vitae servaret munia recto 
More ; bonus sane vicinus, amabilis hospes, 
Comis in uxorem, posset qui ignoscere servis, 
Et signo laeso non insanire lagenae ; 

Posset qui rupem et puteum vitare patentem. 135 

Hie ubi cognatorum opibus curisque refectus 
Expulit elleboro morburn bilemque meraco, 
Et redit ad sese : Pol, me occidistis, amici, 



EPISTOLARUM LIB. II. 2. 253 

Non servastis, ait, cui sic extorta voluptas, 

Et demtus pretium mentis gratissimus error. 140 

Nimirum sapere est abjectis utile nugis, 
Et tempestivum pueris concedere ludum ; 
Ac non verba sequi fidibus modulanda Latinis, 
Sed verae numerosque modosque ediscere vitae. 
Quocirca mecum loquor haec, tacitusque recordor : 145 

Si tibi nulla sitim finiret copia lymphae, 
Narrares medicis : quod, quanto plura parasti, 
Tanto plura cupis, nulline faterier audes 1 
Si vulnus tibi monstrata radice vel herba 
Non fieret levius, fugeres radice vel herba 150 

Prorlciente nihil curarier. Audieras, cui 
Rem di donarent, illi decedere pravam 
Stultitiam ; et, quum sis nihilo sapientior, ex quo 
Plenior es, tamen uteris monitoribus isdem ? 
At si divitiae prudentem reddere possent, 155 

Si cupidum timidumque minus te ; nempe ruberes, 
Viveret in terris te si quis avarior uno. 

Si proprium est, quod quis libra mercatus et aere est, 
Gluaedam, si credis consultis, mancipat usus : 
Q,ui te pascit ager, tuus est ; et villicus Orbi 160 

Q,uum segetes occat tibi mox frumenta daturas, 
Te dominum sen tit : das nummos, accipis uvam, 
Pullos, ova, cadum temeti : nempe modo isto 
Paulatim mercaris agrum, fortasse trecentis, 
Aut etiam supra, nummorum millibus emtum. 165 

Quid refert, vivas numerato nuper an o!im % 
Emtor Aricini quondam Veientis et arvi 
Emtum coenat olus, quamvis aliter putat ; emtis 
Sub noctem gelidam lignis calefactat aenum ; 
Sed vocat usque suum, qua populus adsita certis 170 

Limitibus vicina refugit jurgia ; tanquam 
Sit proprium quidquam, puncto quod mobilis horae, 
Nunc prece, nunc pretio, nunc vi, nunc morte suprema, 
Permutet dominos et cedat in altera jura. 



254 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Sic, quia perpetuus nulli datur usus, et heres 175 

Heredem alterius velut unda supervenit undam, 
Q,uid vici prosunt aut horrea ? Gluidve Calabris 
Saltibus adjecti Lucani, si metit Orcus 
Grandia cum parvis, non exorabilis auro ? 
Gemmas, marmor, ebur, Tyrrhena sigilla, tabellas, 180 

Argentum, vestes Gaetulo murice tinctas, 
Sunt qui non habeant, est qui non curat habere. 
Cur alter fratrum cessare et ludere et ungi 
Praeferat Herodis palmetis pinguibus ; alter, 
Dives et importunus, ad umbram lucis ab ortu 185 

Silvestrem flammis et ferro mitiget agrum, 
Scit Genius, natale comes qui temperat astrum, 
Naturae deus humanae, mortalis in unum- 
Gluodque caput, vultu mutabilis, albus et ater. 

Utar, et ex modico, quantum res poscet, acervo 190 

Tollam ; nee metuam, quid de me judicet heres, 
Quod non plura datis invenerit : et tamen idem 
Scire volam, quantum simplex hilarisque nepoti 
Discrepet, et quantum discordet parcus avaro. 
Distat enim, spargas tua prodigus, an neque sumtum 195 
Invitus facias neque plura parare labores, 
Ac potius, puer ut festis quinquatnbus olim, 
Exiguo gratoque fruaris tempore raptim. 
Pauperies immunda procul procul absit : ego, utrum 
Nave ferar magna an parva, ferar unus et idem. 200 

Non agimur tumidis velis aquilone secundo ; 
Non tamen adversis aetatem ducimus austris ; 
Viribus, ingenio, specie, virtute, loco, re, 
Extremi primorum, extremis usque priores. 

Non es avarus : abi. Quid 1 cetera jam simul isto 205 
Cum vitio fugere 1 caret tibi pectus inani 
Ambitione % caret mortis formidine et ira ? 
Somnia, terrores magicos, miracula, sagas, 
Nocturnos lemures portentaque Thessala rides ? 
Natales grate numeras ? ignoscis amicis ? 210 



EPrSTOLARUM LIB. II. 2. 255 

Lenior et melior fis accedente senecta ? 

Quid te exemta levat spinis de pluribus una % 

Vivere si recte nescis, decede peritis. 

Lusisti satis, edisti satis, atque bibisti ; 

Tempus abire tibi est ; ne potum largius aequo 215 

Rideat et pulset lasciva decentius aetas. 



25 



Q. HORATII FLACCI 

EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 



Humano capiti cervicem pictor equinam 

Jungere si velit, et varias inducere plumas 

Undique collatis membris, ut turpiter atrum 

Desinat in piscem mulier formosa supeme, 

Spectatum admissi risum teneatis, amici ? 5 

Credite, Pisones, isti tabulae fore librum 

Persimilem, cujus, velut aegri somnia, vanae 

Fingentur species ; ut nee pes, nee caput uni 

Reddatur formae. — Pictoribus atque poetis 

Quidlibet audendi semper fuit aequo, potestas. — 10 

Scimus, et banc veniam petimusque damusque vicissim : 

Sed non ut placidis coeant immitia : non ut 

Serpentes avibus geminentur, tigribus agni. 

Inceptis gravibus plerumque et magna professis 
Purpureus, late qui splendeat, unus et alter 15 

Assuitur pannus ; quum lucus et ara Dianae, 
Et properantis aquae per amoenos ambitus agros, 
Aut flumen Rhenum, aut pluvius describitur arcus. 
Sed nunc non erat his locus. Et fortasse cupressum 
Scis simulare : quid hoc, si fractis enatat exspes 20 

Navibus, aere dato qui pingitur 1 Amphora coepit 
Institui ; currente rota cur urceus exit ? 
Denique sit quidvis, simplex duntaxat et unum. 

Maxima pars vatum, pater et juvenes patre digni, 
Decipimur specie recti. Brevis esse laboro, 25 

Obscurus fio ; sectantem lenia neryi 
Deficiunt animique ; professus grandia turget ; 



258 Q. HORATII FLACCX 

Serpit humi tutus nimium timidusque procellae ; 

Q,ui variare cupit rem prodigialiter unam, 

Delphinum silvis appingit, fluctibus aprum. 30 

In vitium ducit culpae fuga, si caret arte. 

Aemilium circa ludum faber unus et ungues 
Exprimet, et molles imitabitur aere capillos, 
Infelix operis summa, quia ponere totum 
Nesciet. Hunc ego me, si quid componere curem, 35 

Non magis esse velim, quam naso vivere pravo, 
Spectandum nigris oculis nigroque capillo. 

Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, aequam 
Viribus, et versate diu, quid ferre recusent, 
Q,uid valeant humeri. Cui lecta potenter erit res, 40 

Nee facundia deseret hunc, nee lucidus ordo. 

Ordinis haec virtus erit et Venus, aut ego fallor, 
Ut jam nunc dicat jam nunc debentia dici, 
Pleraque difFerat et praesens in tempus omittat. 

In verbis etiam tenuis cautusque serendis, 45 

Hoc amet, hoc spernat promissi carminis auctor. 
Dixeris egregie, notum si callida verbum 
Reddiderit junctura novum. Si forte necesse est 
Indiciis monstrare recentibus abdita rerum, 
Fingere cinctutis non exaudita Cethegis 50 

Continget, dabiturque licentia sumta pudenter. 
Et nova factaque nuper habebunt verba fidem, si 
Graeco fonte cadant, parce detorta. Quid autem 
Caecilio Plautoque dabit Romanus, ademtum 
Virgilio Varioque % Ego cur, acquirere pauca 55 

Si possum, invideor, quum lingua Catonis et Ennt 
Sermonem patrium ditaverit, et nova rerum 
Nomina protulerit % Licuit, semperque licebit, 
Signatum praesente nota procudere nomen. 
Ut silvae, foliis pronos mutantis in annos, 60 

Prima cadunt : ita verborum vetus intent aetas, 
Et juvenum ritu florent modo nata vigentque. 
Debemur morti nos nostraque ; sive, recepto 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 259 

Terra Neptuno, classes aquilonibus arcet 

Regis opus ; sterilisve diu palus aptaque remis 65 

Vicinas urbes alit, et grave sentit aratrum ; 

Seu cursum mutavit iniquum frugibus amnis, 

Doctus iter melius. Mortalia facta peribunt : 

Nedum sermonum stet honos et gratia vivax. 

Multa renascentur quae jam cecidere, cadentque 70 

Q,uae nunc sunt in honore vocabula, si volet usus, 

Q.uem penes arbitrium est et jus et norma loquendi. 

Res gestae regumque ducumque et tristia bella 
Q,uo scribi possent numero, monstravit Homerus. 
Versibus impariter junctis querimonia primum, 75 

Post etiam inclusa est voti sententia compos. 
Gluis tamen exiguos elegos emiserit auctor, 
Grammatici certant, et adhuc sub judice lis est. 
Archilochum proprio rabies armavit iambo. 
Hunc socci cepere pedem grandesque cothurni, 80 

Alternis aptum sermonibus, et populares 
Vincentem strepitus, et natum rebus agendis. 
Musa dedit fidibus divos, puerosque deorum, 
Et pugilem victorem, et equum certamine primum, 
Et juvenum curas, et libera vina referre. 85 

Descriptas servare vices operumque colores, 
Cur ego, si nequeo ignoroque, poeta salutor 1 
Cur nescire. pudens prave, quam discere malo % 
Versibus exponi tragicis res comica non vult ;• 
Indignatur item privatis, ac prope socco 90 

Dignis carminibus narrari coena Thyestae. 
Singula quaeque locum teneant sortita decenter. 
Interdum tamen et vocem Comoedia tollit, 
Iratusque Chremes tumido delitigat ore : 
Et tragicus plerumque dolet sermone pedestri. 95 

Telephus et Peleus, quum pauper et exsul, uterque 
Projicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba, 
Si cor spectantis curat tetigisse querela. 

25* 



2DU Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Non satis est pulchra esse poemata ; dulcia sun to, 
Et quocunque volent, animum auditoris agunto. 100 

Ut ridentibus arrident. ita flentibus afflent 
Humani vultus. Si vis me flere, dolendum est 
Primum ipsi tibi ; tunc tua me infortunia laedent, 
Telephe vel Peleu. Male si mandata loqueris, 
Aut dormitabo aut ridebo. Tristia moestum 105 

Vultum verba decent ; iratum plena minarum ; 
Ludentem lasciva ; severum seria dictu. 
Format enim natura prius nos intus ad omnem 
Fortunarum habitum ; juvat, aut impellit ad iram, 
Aut ad humum moerore gravi deducit et angit ; 110 

Post effert animi motus interprete lingua. 
Si dicentis erunt fortunis absona dicta, 
Eomani tollent equites peditesque cachinnum. 

Intererit multum, divusne loquatur an heros ; 
Maturusne senex an adhuc florente juventa 115 

Fervidus ; et matrona potens an sedula nutrix ; 
Mercatorne vagus cultorne virentis agelli ; 
Colchus an Assyrius ; Thebis nutritus an Argis. 

Aut famam sequere, aut sibi convenientia finge, 
Scriptor. Honoratum si forte reponis Achillem ; 120 

Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer, 
Jura neget sibi nata, nihil non arroget armis. 
Sit Medea ferox invictaque, flebilis Ino, 
Perfidus Ixion, Io vaga, tristis Orestes. 
Si quid inexpertum scenae committis, et audes 125 

Personam formare novam, servetur ad imum 
Glualis ab incepto processerit, aut sibi constet. 
Difficile est proprie communia dicere : tuque 
Rectius Iliacum carmen diducis in actus, 
GLuam si proferres ignota indictaque primus. 130 

Publica materies privati juris erit, si 
Nee circa vilem patulumque moraberis orbem ; 
Nee verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus 



EPIST0LA AD PISONES. 261 

Interpres ; nee desilies imitator in arctum, 

Unde pedem proferre pudor vetet aut operis lex. 135 

Nee sic incipies, ut scriptor cyclicus olim : 
Fortunam Priami cantabo et nobile helium. 
Gluid dignum tanto feret hie promissor hiatu ? 
Parturiunt montes, nasceturridiculus mus. 
Gluanto rectius hie, qui nil molitur inepte : 140 

Die mihi, JWusa, virum, captae post tempora Trojae, 
Qui mores hominum multorum vidit et urbes. 
Non fumum ex fulgore} sed ex fume- dare lucem 
Cogitat, ut speciosa dehinc miracula promat, 
Antiphaten, Scyllamque, et cum Cyclope Charybdin. 145 
Nee reditum Diomedis ab intent u Meleagri, 
Nee gemino bellum Trojanum orditur ab ovo. 
Semper ad eventum festinat, et in medias res, 
Non secus ac notas, auditorem rapit, et quae 
Desperat tractata nitescere posse, relinquit ; 150 

Atque ita mentitur, sic veris falsa remiscet, 
Primo ne medium, medio ne discrepet imum. 

Tu, quid ego et populus mecum desideret, audi. 
Si fautoris eges aulaea manentis, et usque 
Sessuri, donee cantor, Vos plaudite, dicat : 155 

Aetatis cujusque notandi sunt tibi mores, 
Mobilibusque decor naturis dandus et annis. 
Reddere qui voces jam scit puer, et pede certo 
Signat humum, gestit paribus colludere, et iram 
Colligit ac ponit temere, et mutatur in horas. 160 

Imberbus juvenis, tandem custode remoto, 
Gaudet equis canibusque et aprici gramine campi ~ % 
Cereus in vitium flecti, monitoribus asper, 
Utilium tardus provisor, prodigus aeris, 
Sublimis, cupidusque, et amata relinquere pernix. 165 

Conversis studiis aetas animusque virilis 
duaerit opes et amicitias, inservit honori, 
Commisisse oavet, quod mox mutare laboret. 
Multa senem circumveniunt incommoda ; vel quod 



262 d. HORATII FLACC1 

Cluaerit, et inventis miser abstinet, ac timet uti ; 170 

Vel quod res omnes timide gelideque ministrat, 

Dilator, spe longus, iners, avidusque futuri, 

Difficilis, querulus, laudator temporis acti 

•Se puero, castigator censorque minorum. 

Multa ferunt anni venientes cornmoda secum, 175 

Multa recedentes adimunt. Ne forte seniles 

Mandentur juveni partes, paeroque viriles ; 

Semper in adjunctis aevoque morabimur aptis. 

Aut agitur res in scenis, aut acta refertur. 
Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem, 180 

Quam quae sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus, et quae 
Ipse sibi tradit spectator. Non tamen intus 
Digna geri promes in scenam ; multaque tolles 
Ex oculis, quae mox narret facundia praesens. 
Ne pueros coram populo Medea trucidet ; 185 

Aut humana palam coquat exta nefarius Atreus ; 
Aut in avem Progne vertatur, Cadmus in anguem. 
Gluodcunque ostendis mihi sic, incredulus odi. 

Neve minor neu sit quinto productior actu 
Fabula, quae posci vult et spectata reponi : 190 

Nee deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus 
Incident : nee quarta loqui persona laboret. 

Actoris partes Chorus officiumque virile 
Defendat ; neu quid medios intercinat actus, 
Gluod non proposito conducat et haereat apte. 195 

Ille bonis faveatque et consilietur amice, 
Et regat iratos, et amet pacare tumentes : 
Ille dapes laudet mensae brevis ; ille salubrem 
Justitiam, legesque, et apertis otia portis : 
Ille tegat commissa, deosque precetur et oret, 200 

Ut redeat miseris, abeat Fortuna superbis. 

Tibia non, ut nunc, orichalco vincta, tubaeque 
Aemula, sed tenuis simplexque foramine pauco 
Adspirare et adesse Choris erat utilis, atque 
Nondum spissa nimis complere sedilia fiatu ; 205 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 263 

duo sane populus numerabilis, utpote parvus, 

Et frugi castusque verecundusque coibat. 

Postquam coepit agros extendere victor, et urbem 

Latior amplecti murus, vinoque diurno 

Placari Genius festis impune diebus, 210 

Accessit numerisque modisque licentia major. 

Indoctus quid enim saperet liberque laborum 

Rusticus, urbano confusus, turpis honesto 1 

Sic priscae motumque et luxuriem addidit arti 

Tibicen. traxitque vagus per pulpita vestem : 215 

Sic etiam fidibus voces crevere sevens, 

Et tulit eloquium insolitum facundia praeceps ; 

Utiliumque sagaxrerum, et divina futuri, 

Sortilegis non discrepuit sententia Delphis. 

Carmine qui tragico vilem certavit ob hircum, 220 

Mox etiam agrestes Satyros nudavit, et asper 
Incolumi gravitate jocum tentavit, eo quod 
Illecebris erat et grata novitate morandus 
Spectator, functusque sacris, et potus, et exlex. 
Verum ita risores, ita commendare dicaces 225 

Conveniet Satyros, ita vertere seria ludo ; 
Ne, quicunque deus, quicunque adhibebitur heros, 
Regali conspectus in auro nuper et ostro, 
Migret in obscuras humili sermone tabernas ; 
Aut, dum vitat humum, nubes et inania captet. 230 

Effutire leves indigna Tragoedia versus, 
Ut festis matrona moveri jussa diebus, 
Intererit Satyris paulum pudibunda protervis. 
Non ego honorata et dominantia nomina solum, 
Verbaque, Pisones, Satyrorum scriptor amabo ; 235 

Nee sic enitar tragico diffene colori, 
Ut nihil intersit, Davusne loquatur et audax 
Pythias, emuncto lucrata Simone talentum, 
An custos famulusque dei Silenus alumni. 
Ex noto fictum carmen sequar, ut sibi quivis 240 

Speret idem ; sudet multum, frustraque laboret 



264 



d. HORATII FLACCI 



Ausus idem. Tantum series juncturaque pollet ; 

Tantum de medio sumtis accedit honoris. 

Silvis educti caveant, me judice, Fauni, 

Ne, velut innati triviis ac paene forenses, 245 

Aut nimium teneris juvenentur versibus unquam, 

Aut immunda crepent ignominiosaque dicta. 

OfFenduntur enim, quibus est equus, et pater, et res ; 

Nee, si quid fricti ciceris probat et nucis em tor, 

Aequis accipiunt animis donantve corona. 250 

Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur Iambus, 
Pes citus ; unde etiam Trimetris accrescere jussit 
Nomen iambeis, quum senos redderet ictus, 
Primus ad extremum similis sibi. Non ita pridem 
Tardior ut paulo graviorque veniret ad aures, 255 

Spondeos stabiles in jura paterna recepit 
Commodus et patiens ; non ut de sede secunda 
Cederet aut quarta socialiter ; hie et in Acct 
Nobilibus Trimetris apparet rarus, et Ennt. 
In scenam missus magno cum pondere versus, 260 

Aut operae celeris nimium curaque carentis, 
Aut ignoratae premit artis crimine turpi. 
Non quivis videt immodulata poemata judex ; 
Et data Romanis venia est indigna poetis. 
Idcircone vager, scribamque licenter ? Ut omnes 265 

Visuros peccata putem mea. Tutus et intra 
Spem veniae cautus, vitavi denique culpam, 
Non laudem merui. Vos exemplaria Graeca 
Nocturna versate manu, versate diurna. 
At vestri proavi Plautinos et numeros et 270 

Laudavere sales. Nimium patienter utrumque, 
Ne dicam stulte, mirati ; si modo ego et vos 
Scimus inurbanum lepido seponere dicto, 
Legitimumque sonum digitis callemus et aure. 

Ignotum tragicae genus invenisse Camenae 275 

Dicitur et plaustris vexisse poemata Thespis 
Q,ui canerent agerentque peruncti faecibus ora. 



EPISTOLA AD FISONES. 265 

Post hunc personae pallaeque repertor honestae 

Aeschylus et modicis instravit pulpita tignis, 

Et docuit magnumque loqui nitique cothurno. 280 

Successit vetus his Comoedia, non sine multa 

Laude ; sed in vitium libertas excidit, et vim 

Dignam lege regi. Lex est accspta, Chorusque 

Turpiter obticuit, sublato jure nocendi. 

Nil intentatum nostri liquere poetae : 285 

Nee minimum meruere decus, vestigia Graeca 

Ausi deserere, et celebrare domestica facta, 

Vel qui praetextas, vel qui docuere togatas. 

Nee virtute foret clarisve potentius armis, 

Q,uam lingua, Latium, si non offenderet unum- 290 

Cluemque poetarum limae labor et mora. Vos, O 

Pompilius sanguis, carmen reprehendite, quod non 

Multa dies et multa litura coercuit, atque 

Praesectum decies non castigavit ad unguem. 

Ingenium misera quia fortunatius arte 295 

Credit, et excludit sanos Helicone poetas 
Democritus, bona pars non ungues ponere curat, 
Non barbam, secreta petit loca, balnea vitat. 
Nanciscetur enim pretium nomenque poetae, 
Si tribus Anticyris caput insanabile nunquam 300 

Tonsori Licino commiserit. O ego laevus, 
Qui purgor bilem sub verni temporis horam ! 
Non alius faceret meliora poemata. Verum 
Nil tanti est. Ergo fungar vice cotis, acutum 
Reddere quae ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secandi : 305 

Munus et officium, nil scribens ipse, docebo ; 
CJnde parentur opes ; quid alat formetque poetam ; 
Q,uid deceat, quid non ; quo virtus, quo ferat error. 
Scribendi recte sapere est et principium et fons. 
Rem tibi Socraticae poterunt ostendere chartae : 310 

"Verbaque provisam rem non invita sequentur. 
Qui didicit, patriae quid debeat, et quid amicis, 
Q,uo sit amore parens, quo frater amandus et hospes, 



266 Q. HORATII FLACCI 

Gluod sit conscript)', quodjudicis officium, quae 

Partes in bellum missi ducis ; ille profecto 315 

Reddere personae scit convenientia cuique. 

Respicere exemplar vitae morumque jubebo 

Doctum imitatorem, et veras hinc ducere voces, 

Interdum speciosa locis morataque recte 

Fabula, nullius veneris, sine pondere et arte, 320 

Valdius oblectat populum meliusque moratur, 

Gluam versus inopes rerum nugaeque canorae. 

Graiis ingenium, Graiis dedit ore rotundo 

Musa loqui, praeter laudem nullius avaris. 

Romani pueri longis rationibus assem 325 

Discunt in partes centum diducere. — Dicas, 

Filias Albini, si de quincunce remota est 

Uncia, quid superet ? — Poteras dixisse : Triens. — Eu ! 

Rempoteris servare tuam. Redit uncia, quid Jit ? — 

Semis. — An, haec animos aerugo et cura peculi 330 

Q,uum semel imbuerit, speramus carmina fingi 

Posse linenda cedro, et levi servanda cupresso 1 

Aut prodesse volunt aut delectare poetae, 
Aut simul et jucunda et idonea dicere vitae. 
Gluidquid praecipies, esto brevis, ut cito dicta 335 

Percipiant animi dociles, teneantque fideles. 
Omne supervacuum pleno de pectore manat. 
Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris : 
Ne, quodcunque volet, poscat sibi fabula credi ; 
Neu pransae Lamiae vivum puerum extrahat alvo. 340 

Centuriae seniorum agitant expertia frugis ; 
Celsi praetereunt austera poemata Ramnes : 
Omne tu!it punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci, 
Lectorem delectando pariterque monendo. 
Hie meret aera liber Sosiis, hie et mare transit, 345 

Et longum noto scriptori prorogat # aevum. 

Sunt delicta tamen, quibus ignovisse velimus. 
Nam neque chorda sonum reddit, quern vult manus et mens, 
Poscentique gravem persaepe remittit acutum ; 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 267 

Nec semper feriet quodcunque minabitur arcus. 350 

Verum ubi plura nitent in carmine, non ego pauci3 

Offendar maculis, quas aut incuria fudit, 

Aut humana parum cavit natura. Q,uid ergo est 1 

Ut scriptor si peccat idem librarius usque, 

Q,uamvis est monitus, venia caret ; ut citharoedus 355 

Ridetur, chorda qui semper oberrat eadem : 

Sic mihi, qui multum cessat, fit Choerilus ille, 

Q,uem bis terve bonum cum risu miror ; et idem 

Indignor, quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus. 

Verum operi longo fas est obrepere somnum. 360 

Ut pictura, poesis : erit quae, si propius stes, 
Te capiet magis, et quaedam, si longius abstes. 
Haec amat obscurum ; volet haec sub luce videri, 
Judicis argutum quae non formidat acumen : 
Haec placuit semel, haec decies repetita placebit. 365 

O major juvenum, quamvis et voce paterna 
Fmgeris ad rectum, et per te sapis, hoc tibi dictum 
Tolle memor : certis medium et tolerabile rebus 
Recte concedi : consultus juris et actor 
Causarum mediocris abest virtute diserti 370 

Messalae, nec scit quantum Cascellius Aulus ; 
Sed tamen in pretio est : mediocribus esse poetis 
Non homines, non dt, non concessere columnae. 
Ut gratas inter mensas symphonia discors 
Et crassum unguentum, et Sardo cum melle papaver 375 
Offendunt, poterat duci quia coena sine istis : 
Sic animis natum inventumque poema juvandis, 
Si paulum a summo decessit, vergit ad imum. 
Ludere qui nescit, campestribus abstinet armis, 
Indoctusque pilae discive trochive quiescit, 380 

Ne spissae risum tollant impune coronae ; 
Q,ui nescit, versus tamen audet fingere ! — Quidni ? 
Liber et ingenuus, praesertim census equestrem 
Summam nummorum, vitioque remotus ab omni. — 
Tu nihil invita dices faciesve Minerva ; 385 

26 



268 (l. HORATII FLACCI 

Id tibi judicium est, ea mens : si quid tamen olim 

Scripseris, in Maeci descendat judicis aures, 

Et patris, et nostras, nonumque prematur in annum, 

Membranis intus positis. Delere licebit, 

Quod non edideris : nescit vox missa reverti. 390 

Silvestres homines sacer interpresque deorum 
Caedibus et victu foedo deterruit Orpheus ; 
Dictus ob hoc lenire tigres rabidosque leones : 
Dictus et Amphion, Thebanae conditor urbis, 
Saxa movere sono testudinis, et prece blanda 395' 

Ducere quo vellet. Fuit haec sapientia quondam, 
Publica privatis secernere, sacra profanis, 
Concubitu prohibere vago, dare jura mantis, 
Oppida moliri, leges incidere ligno. 

Sic honor et nomen divinis vatibus atque 400? 

Carminibus venit. Post hos insignis Homerus, 
Tyrtaeusque mares animos in Martia bella 
Versibus exacuit. Dictae per carmina sortes, 
Et vitae monstrata via est, et gratia regum 
Pieriis tentata modis, ludusque repertus, 405 

Et longorum operum finis : ne forte pudori 
Sit tibi Musa lyrae solers, et cantor Apollo. 

Natura fieret laudabile carmen, an arte, 
duaesitum est. Ego nee studium sine divite vena, 
Nee rude quid possit video ingenium : alterius sic 410 

Altera poscit opem res, et conjurat amice. 
Q,ui studet optatam cursu contingere metam, 
Multa tubt fecitque puer, sudavit et alsit, 
Abstinuit Venere et vino. Q,ui Pythia cantat 
Tibicen, didicit prius, extimuitque magistrum. 415 

Nee satis est dixisse : Ego mira poemata pango : 
Occupet extremum scabies ; mihi turpe relinqui est, 
Et, quod non didici, sane nescire fateri. 
Ut praeco, ad merces turbam qui cogit emendas, 
Assentatores jubet ad lucrum ire poeta 420 

Dives agris, dives positis in fenore nummis. 



EPISTOLA AD PISONES. 269 

Si vero est, unctum qui recte ponere possit, 

Et spondere levi pro paupere, et eripere atris 

Litibus inplicitum, mirabor si sciet inter- 

Noscere mendacem verumque beatus amicum. 425 

Tu seu donaris, seu quid donare voles cui. 

Nolito ad versus tibi factos ducere plenum 

Laetitiae ; clamabit enim, Pulchre ! bene ! recte ! 

Pallescet super his ; etiam stillabit amicis 

Ex oculis rorem ; saliet, tundet pede ten-am. 430 

Ut, quae conductae plorant in funere, dicunt 

Et faciunt prope plura dolentibus ex animo ; sic 

Derisor vero plus laudatore movetur. 

Reges dicuntur multis urguere cululbs, 

Et torquere mero, quern perspexisse laborant, 435 

An sit amicitia dignus : si carmina condes, 

Nunquam te fallant animi sub vulpe latentes. 

Q,uintilio si quid recitares, Corrige sodes 

Hoc, aiebat, et hoc. Melius te posse negares. 

Bis terque expertum frustra, delere jubebat, 440 

Et male tornatos incudi reddere versus. 

Si defendere delictum, quam vertere, malles, 

Nullum ultra verbum aut operam insumebat inanem 

Q,uin sine rivali teque et tua solus amares. 

Vir bonus et prudens versus reprehendet inertes, 445 

Culpabit duros, incomtis allinet atrum 

Transverso calamo signum, ambitiosa recidet 

Ornamenta, parum claris lucem dare coget, 

Arguet ambigue dictum, mutanda notabit ; 

Fiet Aristarchus ; non dicet ; Cur ego amicum 450 

Offendam in nugis ? Hae nugae seria ducent 

In mala derisum semel exceptumque sinistre. 

Ut mala quern scabies aut morbus regius urguet, 

Aut fanaticus error, et iracunda Diana, 

Vesanum tetigisse timent fugiuntque poetam, 455 

■Q,ui sapiunt ; agitant pueri, incautique sequuntur, 

Hie dum sublimis versus ructatur, et errat, 



270 Q.. HORATII FLACCI 

Si veluti merulis intentus decidit uuceps 

In puteum foveamve, licet, Succurrite, longum 

Clamet, io cives ! ne sit, qui tollere curet. 460 

Si curet quis opem ferre, et demit tere fun em, 

Q.ui scis, anprudens hue se projecerit, atque 

Servari nolit ? dicam, Siculique poetae 

Narrabo interitum. Deus immortalis haberi 

Dum cupit Empedocles, ardentem frigidus Aetnam 465 

Insiluit. Sit jus liceatque perire poetis. 

Invitum qui servat, idem facit occidenti. 

Nee semel hoc fecit ; nee, si retractus erit, jam 

Fiet homo, et ponet famosae mortis amorem. 

Nee satis apparet, cur versus factitet ; utrum 470 

Mihxerit in patrios cineres, an triste bidental 

Movent incestus : certe furit, ac velut ursus 

Objectos caveae valuit si frangere clathros, 

Indoctum doctumque fugat recitator acerbus : 

Quern vero arripuit, tenet, occiditque legendo, 475 

Non missura cutem, nisi plena cruoris, hirudo. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. 



ODES. 

The word Ode (from the Greek t^i), ) was not introduced into the 
Latin tongue until the third or fourth century of our era, and was then first 
used to denote any pieces of a lyric nature. The grammarians, perceiv- 
ing that Horace had more than once used the word carmen to designate 
this kind of poetry, ventured to place it at the head of his odes, and their 
example has been followed by almost all succeeding editors. We have 
no very strong reason, however, to suppose that the poet himself ever 
intended this as a general title for his lyric productions. (Compare Les 
Poesies D'Horace, par Sanadon, vol. 1. p. 6.) 



Ode 1. Addressed to Maecenas, and intended probably by Horace as 
a dedication to him of part of his odes. It is generally thought that the 
poet collected together and presented on this occasion the first three book3 
of his lyric pieces. From the complexion, however, of the last ode of the 
second book, it would appear that the third book was separately given to 
the world, and at a later period. 

The subject of the present ode is briefly this : The objects of human 
desire and pursuit are various. One man delights in the victor's prize at 
the public games, another in attaining to high political prefennent, a third 
in the pursuits of agriculture, &c. My chief aim is the successful culti- 
vation of lyric verse, in which if I shall obtain your applause, O Maecenas, 
my lot will be a happy one indeed. 

1 — 2. 1. Maecenas atavis, &c. "Maecenas, descended from regal 
ancestors." Caius Cilnius Maecenas, who shared with Agrippa the fa- 
vour and confidence of Augustus, and distinguished himself by his 
patronage of literary men, is said to have been descended from Elbius 
Volterrenus, one of the Lucumones of Etruria, who fell in the battle at the 
lake Vadimona, A. U. C. 445. — 2. et presidium, &c. "O both my pa- 
tron and sweet glory." The expression dxdce decus meum refers to the 
feeling of gratification entertained by the poet in having so illustrious a 
patron and friend. — The synaloepba is neglected in the commencement 
of this line, as it always is in the case of 0, Heu, Ah, &c. ; since the voice 
is sustained and the hiatus prevented by the strong feeling which these 
interjections are made to express. 

3. Sunt quos cumculo, &c. "There are some, whom it delights to 
have collected the Olympic dust in the chariot-course." i. e. to have con- 
tended for the prise at the Olympic games. The Olympic are here put 
tear' i\oxnv for any games. The Grecian games were as follows: 1. The 
Olympic, celebrated at Olympia in Elis, on the banks of the Alpheus, after 
an interval of four years, from the eleventh to the fifteenth of the month 



274 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE I. 

Hecatombaeon which corresponds nearly to our July. It is uncertain 
whether Pelops or Hercules was their founder. After the invasion of the 
Heraclidas, Iphitus renewed them, (884 B. C.) and Coroebus a second 
time, 776 B. C. They were celebrated in honour of Jupiter : the crown 
was of wild olive, k6tivos. — 2. The Pythian, in honour of Apollo, celebrated 
on the Crissaean plain near Delphi, at first every nine, but subsequently 
every five, years. The season for holding them was the spring. The 
crown was of laurel. — 3. The Nememu These were originally funeral 
games, (ayiiv emraQtos,) in memory of Archemorus. Hercules, however, 
after having killed the Nemean lion, consecrated them to Jupiter. They 
were celebrated in a grove near the city of Nemea, in the second and 
fourth years of every Olympiad. The crown was of fresh parsley. 4. 
The Isthmian. Originally established in honor of Palaemon, but after- 
wards re-modelled by Theseus, and consecrated to Neptune. They 
were held on the isthmus of Corinth, twice during each Olympiad. The 
crown was originally of pine, and afterwards of withered parsley, but the 
pine subsequently came again into use. 

4. Metaque fervidis, &c. " And whom the goal, skilfully avoided by the 
glowing wheels." The principal part of the charioteer's skill was dis- 
played in avoiding the metcc (vbacrai) or goals. In the Greek hippodrome, 
as well as in the Roman circus, a low wall was erected which divided the 
Spatium, or race-ground, into two unequal parts. Cassiodorus calls it the 
spina. At each of its extremities, and resting on hollow basements, were 
placed three pillars formed like cones; these cones were properly called 
metcc, (I'oo-o-at) ; but the whole was often collectively termed in the singu- 
lar meta. The chariots, after starting from the carceres, or barriers, where 
their station had been determined by lot, ran seven times around the spina. 
The chief object, therefore, of the rival charioteers, was to get so near to 
the spina, as to graze (evitarc) the meta in turning. This of course would 
give the shortest space to run, and, if effected each heat, would ensure the 
victory. Compare Burgess, Desciiption of the Circus on the Via Jlppia, 
p. 65. 

5 — 6. 5. Palmaque nobilis. "And the ennobling palm." Besides the 
crown, a palm-branch was presented to the conqueror at the Grecian 
games, as a general token of victory : this he carried in his hand. — 
6. Terrarum dominos. "The rulers of the world," referring simply to the 
gods, and not, as some explain the phrase, to the Roman people. 

7 — 10. 7. Hunc. Understand juvat. Hunc in this line ; ilium in the 
9th ; and gaudentem in the 11th, denote, respectively, the ambitious aspi- 
rant after popular favours, the covetous man, and the agriculturist. — 
8. Certat tergeminis, &c. " Vie with each other in raising him to the 
highest offices in the state." Honoribus is here the dative, by a Graecism, 
for ad honores. The epithet tergeminis is equivalent merely to amplissimis. 
— 9. Ilium. Understand juvat. — 10. Libycis. One of the principal grana- 
ries of Rome was the fertile region adjacent to the Syrtis Minor, and 
called Byzacium or Emporias. It formed part of Africa Propria. Horace 
uses the" epithet Libycis for Jlfiicis, in imitation of the Greek writers, with 
whom Libya (At6{ii)) was a general appellation for the entire continent 
of Africa. 

11 — 15. 11. Sarculo. "With the hoe." Sarculum is for sarriculum, 
from sarrio. — 12. Jlttalicis conditionibus. " For all the wealth of Attalus." 
Alluding to Attalus 3d, the last king of Pergamus, famed for his riches, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE I. 275 

which he bequeathed, together with his kingdom, to the Roman people. — ■ 
13. Trabe Cijpria. The epithet "Cyprian" seems to allude here not so 
much to the commerce of the island, extensive as it was, as to the 
excellent quality of its naval timber. The poet, it will be perceived, uses 
the expressions Cypria, Myrtoum, Icariis, Africum, Massici, &c. /car' 
H°X>»'> for any ship, any sea, any waves, &c. — 14. Myrtoum. The Myrto- 
an sea was a part of the iEgean, lying, according to Strabo, between 
Crete, Argolis, and Attica. — Pavidusnauta, "becoming a timid mariner." — 
15. Icariis Jluctibus. The Icarian sea was part of the iEgean, near the 
islands of Icaria, Mycone, and Gyaros. It derived its name, not as the 
ancient mythologists pretend, from Icarus, the son of Dcedalus, who, 
according to them, fell into it and was drowned, but from the first of the 
islands just mentioned, (Icaria, i. e. Icaure) the appellation of which de- 
notes in the Phoenician language " the island offish." Compare Bocharl, 
Geogr. Sacr. 1. 8. — Jlfricum. The wind .Bfricus denotes, in strictness, 
the " West-South-West." In translating the text it will be sufficient to 
render it by " South- West." It derived its name from the circumstance 
of its coming in the direction of Africa Propria. 

16 — 19. 16. Mercator. The Mercatores, among the Romans, were 
those who, remaining only a short time in any place, visited many coun- 
tries, and were almost constantly occupied with the exportation or impor- 
tation of merchandise. The Negotiators, on the other hand, generally 
continued for some length of time in a place, whether at Rome, or in the 
provinces. — Metuens. "As long as he dreads." — Otium et oppidi, &c. 
"Praises a retired life, and the rural scenery around his native place." — 
18. Pauperiem. " The pressure of contracted means." Horace and the 
best Latin writers understand by pauperies and paupertas, not absolute 
poverty, which is properly expressed by egestas, but a state in which we are 
deprived indeed of the comforts, and yet possess in some degree, the neces- 
saries, of life. — 19. Massici. Of the Roman wines, the best growths are 
styled indiscriminately Massicum and Fcdernnm (vinum.) The Massic 
wine derived its name from the vineyards of Mons Massicus, now Monte 
Massico, near the ancient Sinuessa. The choicest wines were produced 
on the southern declivities of the range of hills which commences in the 
neighbourhood of Sinuessa, and extend for a considerable distance inland, 
and which may have taken their general name from the town or district 
of Falernus. But the most conspicuous, or the best exposed among them, 
seems to have been the Massic ; and as in process of time several infe- 
rior growths were confounded under the common name of Falernian, cor- 
rect writers would choose that epithet which most accurately denoted the 
fines! vintage. 

20 — 21. 20. Partem solido, &c. Upon the increase of riches, the 
Romans deferred the cazna, which used to be their mid-day meal, to the 
ninth hour, (or three o'clock afternoon,) in summer, and the tenth hour in 
winter, taking only a slight repast (prandium) at noon. Nearly the whole 
of the natural day was therefore devoted to affairs of business, or serious 
employment, and was called in consequence dies solidus. Hence the vo- 
luptuary, who begins to quaff the old Massic before the accustomed hour, 
is said "to take away a part from the solid day," or from the period devo- 
ted to more active pursuits, and expend it on his pleasures. This is what 
the poet, on another occasion, (Ode 2. 7. 6.) calls "breaking the lingering 
day with wine," diem morantemj rang ere mero. — 2 1 . Arbxdo. The arbutus (or 
arbutum) is the arbute, or wild-strawberry tree, corresponding to the icd/iapo; 
of the Greeks, the unedo of Pliny, and the arbutus unedo of Linrceus, 



276 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE. II. 

class 10. The fruit itself is called Kd/tapov, jxz;ialKv\ov, or uiiiaUv\ov, (Athe- 
nozus, 2. 35.) and in Latin arbutum. It resembles our strawberry very 
closely, except that it is larger, and has no seeds on the outside of the 
pulp like that fruit. The arbute tree possesses medicinal qualities : its 
Dark, leaves, and fruit are very astringent ; and hence, according to Pliny, 
the origin of the Latin name unedo, (unus and edo,) because but one berry 
could be eaten at a time. The same writer describes the fruit as indigest- 
ible and unwholesome. Compare Plin. H. JV. 19. 24 : and 23. 8. Fee, 
Flore de Virgile, p. 20. Martyn, ad Virg. Georg. 1. 148. 

22 — 28. 22. Sacra. The fountain-heads of streams were supposed 
to he the residence of the river-deity, and hence were always held sa- 
cred. Fountains generally were sacred to the nymphs and rural divini- 
ties. — 23. Et lituo tuba, &c. " And the sound of the trumpet intermingled 
with the notes of the clarion." The tuba was straight, and used for in- 
fantry; the lituus was bent a little at the end, like the augur's staff, and 
was used for the cavalry: it had the harsher sound. — 25. Detestata. 
"Held in detestation." Taken passively. — Manet. "Passes the night." — 
Sub Jove frigido. "Beneath the cold sky." Jupiter is here taken figura- 
tively for the higher regions of the air. Compare the Greek phrase litd 
Aids. — 28. Teretes. " Well- wrought." — Marsus. For Marsicus. The moun- 
tainous country of the Marsi, in Italy, abounded with wild boars of the 
fiercest kind. 

29 — 34. 29. Me. Some editions have Te, referring to Maecenas : an 
inferior reading. — Edera. " Ivy-crowns." The species of ivy here allu- 
ded to is the Edera nigra, sacred to Bacchus, and hence styled Aiov&cia by 
the Greeks. It is the Edera poetica of Bauhin. Servius says that poets 
were crowned with ivy, because the poetic fury resembled that of the 
Bacchanalians. — Doctarum pramia fontium. Poets are called docti, 
"learned," in accordance with Grecian usage: aoiSol av<j>ol. — 30. Dis 
miscent superis. " Raise to the converse of the gods above."— 33. Euterpe 
cohibet, &c. Euterpe and Polyhymnia are meant to denote any of the 
Muses.— 34. Lesboum refugit, &c. "Refuses to touch the Lesbian lyre." 
The lyre is called "Lesbian" in allusion to Sappho and Alcssus, both na- 
tives of Lesbos, and both famed for their lyric productions. 



ODE. 2. Octavianus assumed his new title of Augustus on the 17th 
of January (xvin. Col. Febr.) A. U. C. 727. On the following night Rome 
was visited by a severe tempest, and an inundation of the Tiber. The 
present ode was written in allusion to that event. The poet, regarding 
the visitation as a mark of divine displeasure, proceeds to inquire on what 
deity they are to call for succour. Who is to free the Romans from the 
pollution occasioned by their civil strife ? Is it Apollo, god of prophecy ? 
Or Venus, parent of Rome ? Or Mars, founder of the Roman line ? 
Or Mercury, messenger of the skies ? — It is the last, the avenger of Cas- 
sar, the deity who shrouds his godhead beneath the person of Augustus. 
He alone, if heaven spare him to the earth, can restore to us the favour 
of Jove, and national prosperity. 

1 —4. 1. Terris. A Graecism for in terras. — Dirce grandinis. Every 
thing sent by the wrath of the gods (dei ira) was termed dirum. — 2. Pa- 
ter. "The Father of Gods and men." Jupiter. n<m)p avSpZv rs SeSv re. — 
Bubmte dextera. " With his red right hand." Red with the reflected glare 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE II. 277 

of the thunderbolt : an idea very probably borrowed from some ancient 
painting. — 3. Sacras arces. " The sacred summits of the temples." The 
lightning struck the capitol containing the temples of Jupiter, Minerva, 
and Juno. — 4. Urbem. " The city," i. e. Rome. Compare Quintilian 
(8. 2.) " Urbem Romam accipimus." 

5 — 10. 5. Gentes. Understand timentes. "He lias terrified the na- 
tions, fearing lest," &c. Analogous to the Greek idiom, tydBrjae p) — 6. Sk- 
culum Pyrrha. Alluding to the deluge of Deucalion in Thessaly. — Nova 
monstra. "Wonders before unseen." — 7. Proteus. A sea-deity, son of 
Oceanus and Tethys, gifted with prophecy and the power of assuming 
any form at pleasure. His fabled employment was to keep " the flocks" 
of Neptune, i. e. the phocce, or seals. — 8. Visere. A Grascism for ad visen- 
dum. — 10. Palwnbis. The common reading is columbis; but the true one 
is palumbis. The " palumbse," or " wood-pigeons," construct their nests on 
the branches and in the hollows of trees ; the columbce, or " doves," are 
kept in dove-cots. 

13 — 16. 13. Flavian Tiberim. " The yellow Tiber." A recent traveller 
remarks, with regard to this epithet of the Tiber : " Yellow is an exceed- 
ingly undescriptive translation of that tawny colour, that mixture of red, 
brown, grey and yellow, which should answer to Jlavus here ; but I may 
not deviate from the established phrase, nor do I know a better." (Rome 
in the nineteenth century, vol. 1. p. 84.) — 14. Litore Etrnsco. The violence 
of the storm forced the waves of the Tiber from the upper or Tuscan 
shore, and caused an inundation on the lower bank, or left side, of the 
river, where Rome was situated. — 15. Monumenta regis. "The memorial 
of King Numa." Alluding to the palace of Numa, which, according to 
Plutarch, stood in the immediate vicinity of the temple of Vesta, and 
was distinct from his other residence on the Gtuirinal hill. (Plut. Fit. 
Num. c. 14.) — 16. Vesta. What made the omen a peculiarly alarming 
one was, that the sacred fire was kept in this temple, on the preservation 
of which the safety of the empire was supposed in a great measure to de- 
pend. Compare Ovid. Trist. 3. 1. 29. " Hie focus est Vesta, qui Pallada 
servat et ignem." If a vestal virgin allowed the sacred fire to be extin- 
guished, she was scourged by the Pontifex Maximus. Such an accident 
was always esteemed most unlucky, and expiated by offering extraordi- 
nary sacrifices. The fire was lighted up again, not from another fire, but 
from the rays of the sun, in which manner it was renewed every year on 
the first of March, that day being anciently the beginning of the year. 
Compare Lipsius, de Vesta et Vestalibm Syntagma. 

17 — 19. 17. Rice dums-e, &c. " While the god of the stream, lending 
too ready an ear to the wishes of his spouse, proudly shows himself an 
intemperate avenger to the complaining Ilia." The allusion is to Ilia or 
Rea Silvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus, and the ancestress of 
Julius Caesar, whose assassination she is here represented as bewailing. 
Ancient authorities differ in relation to her fate. Ennius, cited by Por- 
phyrion in his scholia on this ode, makes her to have been cast into the 
Tiber, previous to which she had become the bride of the Anio. Horace, 
on the contrary, speaks of her as having married the god of the Tiber, 
which he here designates as uxorius amnis. Servius (ad Jlen. 1. 274.) al- 
ludes to this version of the fable, as adopted by Horace and others. Ac- 
ron also, in his scholia on the present passage, speaks of Ilia as having 
married the god of the Tiber. According to the account which he gives, 
Ilia was buried on the banks of the Anio, and the river, having overflowed 



278 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE II. 

its borders, carried her remains down to the Tiber; hence she was said 
to have espoused the deity of the last mentioned stream. It may not be 
improper to add here a remark of Niehbuhr's in relation to the name of 
this female. "The reading Rhea," observes the historian, " is a corrup- 
tion introduced by the editors, who very unseasonably bethought them- 
selves of the goddess : rea seems only to have signified the culprit, or the 
guilty woman : it reminds us of reafemina, which often occurs, particular- 
ly in Boccacio." (Niehbuhr's Roman History, vol. 1. p. 176. 2d ed. Hare 
and ThirlwalPs transl.) — Nimium. Taken as an adjective, and referring to 
vltorem. It alludes to the violence of the inundation. Some commenta- 
tors connect it as an adverb with querenti : " the too-complaining." — 19, 
Jove non probante. Jupiter did not approve that the Tiber should under- 
take to avenge the death of Caesar, a task which he had reserved for Au- 
gustus. 

22 — 27. 22. Graves Persoz. " The formidable Parthians." Horace 
frequently uses the terms Medi and Persoz to denote the Parthians. The 
Median preceded the Persian power, which, after the interval of the Gre- 
cian dominion, was succeeded by the Parthian empire. The epithet 
graves alludes to the defeat of Crassus, and the check of Marc Antony. — 
Perirent. F 'or per ituri fuissent. — 23. Vitio parentwn rara juventus. "Pos- 
terity thinned through the guilt of their fathers." Alluding to the excesses 
of the civil contest — 25. Vocet. For invocet. — Ruentis imperi rebus. "To- 
the affairs of the falling empire." Rebus by a Graecism for ad res. — 26. 
Prece qua. "By what supplications." — 27. Virgines sanctoz. Alluding 
to the vestal virgins. — Minus audientem carmina. "Turning a deaf ear 
to their solemn prayers." Carmen is frequently used to denote any set 
form of words either in prose or verse. — As Julius Cassar was Pontifes 
Maximus at the time of his death, he was also, by virtue of his office, 
priest of Vesta ; it being particularly incumbent on the Pontifex Maximus 
to exercise a superintending control over the rites of that goddess. Hence 
the anger of the goddess towards the Romans on account of Caesar's death. 

29 — 39. 29. Scelus. "Our guilt." Alluding to the crimes of the civil 
war. — 31. Nube candentes, &c. "Having thy bright shoulders shrouded 
with a cloud." The gods, when they were pleased to manifest themselves to 
mortal eye, were generally, in poetic imagery, clothed with clouds, in order 
to hide, from mortal gaze, the excessive splendour of their presence. — 
Augur Apollo. "Apollo, god of prophecy." — 33. Erycina ridens. "Smi- 
ling goddess of Eryx." Venus, so called from her temple on mount Eryx 
in Sicily. — 34. Quam Jocus circum, &c. "Around whom hover Mirth 
and Love." — 36. Respicis. "Thou again beholdest with a favouring eye." 
"When the gods turned their eyes towards their worshippers, it was a sign 
of favour; when they averted them, of displeasure. — Auctoi: "Founder ot 
the Roman line." Addressed to Mars, as the reputed father of Romulus 
and Remus. — 39. Marsi. The common texts have Mauri. But the peo- 
ple of Mauretania were never remarkable for their valour, and their ca- 
valry besides were always decidedly superior to their infantry. The Marsi, 
on the other hand, were reputed to have been one of the most valiant na- 
tions of Italy. — Cruentum. This epithet beautifully describes the foe, as 
transfixed by the weapon of the Marsian and " weltering in his blood." 

41 — 51. 41. Sive mutata, &c. "Or if, winged son of the benign 
Maia, having changed thy form, thou assumest that of a youthful hero on 
the earth." Mercury, the offspring of Jupiter and Maia, is here addressed. 
— Juvenem. Augustus. — 43. Patiensvocari, &c. "Suffering thyself to be 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE III. 279 

called the avenger of Caesar." An imitation of the Greek idiom, for te 
vocari Ccesans ultorem. — 46. Lcetus. "Propitious." — 47. Iniquum. "Of- 
fended at." — 48. Ocyor aura. "An untimely blast." The poet prays 
that the departure of Augustus for the skies may not be accelerated by 
the crimes and vices of his people. — 49. Magnos triumphos. Augustus, in 
the monthof August, A. U. C. 725, triumphed for three days in succession : 
on the first day over the Pannonians, Dalmatians, lapydse, and their 
neighbours, together with some Gallic and Germanic tribes; on the se- 
cond day, for the victory at Actium ; on the third, for the reduction of 
Egypt. The successes over the Gauls and Germans had been obtained 
for him by his lieutenant C. Carinas. — 50. Pater atque Princeps. Augus- 
tus is frequently styled on medals, Pater Patrice, a title which the succeed- 
ing emperors adopted from him. — 51. Medos. "The eastern nations." 
Alluding particularly to the Parthians. Compare note on line 22 of this 
Ode. — Equitare intdtos. " To transgress their limits with impunity." To 
make unpunished inroads into the Roman territory. 



ODE 3. Addressed to the ship which was about to convey Virgil to 
the shores of Greece. The poet prays that the voyage may be a safe 
and propitious one : alarmed, however, at the same time by the idea of 
the dangers which threaten his friend, he declaims against the inventor of 
navigation, and the daring boldness of mankind in general. — According to 
Heyne, (VirgUii vita per annos digesta,) this ode would appear to have 
been written A. IT. C. 735, when, as Donatus states, the bard of Mantua 
had determined to retire to Greece, and Asia, and employ there the space 
of three years in correcting and completing the iEneid. (Donat. Virg, 
vit. § 51.) "Jlnno vero quinquageshno secundo" observes Donatus, " itt 
idtimam manum JEneidi imponeret, slatuit in Graciam et Jlsiam secedere, 
triennioque continuo omnem operam limationi dare, ut reliqua vita tantum phi- 
losophic, vacaret. Sed cum ingressus iter Jithenis occurisset Jlugusto, ah Ori- 
ente Romam revertenti, una cum Casare redire statuit. Ac cum Megara, vi- 
cinum Jithenis oppidum, visendi gratia peteret, languorem nactus est : quern 
non intermissa navigatio auxit, ita ut gravior indies, tandem Brundisium ad- 
ventarit, ubi diebus paucis obiit, X. Kal. Octobr. C. Sentio, Q. Lucretio Coss. 

1 — 4. 1. Sic te Diva, potens Cypri, &c. " O Ship, that owest to the 
shores of Attica, Virgil entrusted by us to thy care, so may the goddess who 
rules over Cyprus, so may the brothers of Helen, bright luminaries, and 
the father of the winds direct thy course, all others being confined except 
Japyx, that thou mayest give him up in safety to his destined haven, and 
preserve the one half of my soul." With reddas and serves, understand ut, 
which stands in opposition to sic. — Diva potens Cypri. Venus. From her 
power over the sea. she was invoked by the Cnidians, as Evir'Sota, the dis. 
penser of favourable voyages. (Pausan. 1. 14.) — 2. Fratres Helena. 
Castor and Pollux. It was the particular office of " the brothers of 
Helen" to bring aid to mariners in time of danger. They were identified 
by the ancients with those luminous appearances, resembling balls of fire, 
which are seen on the masts and yards of vessels before and after storms. — 
3. Ventorum pater. iEolus. The island in which he was fabled to have 
reigned, was Strongyle, the modern Stromboli. — 4. Obstrictis aliis. An al- 
lusion to the Homeric fable of Ulysses and his bag of adverse winds. — 
Iapyga. The west-north-west, ft received its name from Iapygia, in 
Lower Italy, which country lay partly in the line of its direction. It was 
the most favourable wind for sailing from Brundisium towards the south- 
27 



280 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE III. 

em parts of Greece, the vessel having, in the course of her voyage to At- 
tica, to double the promontories of Tsenarus and Malea. 

9 — 15. 9. Illi robur et as triplex, &c. " That mortal had the strength 
of triple brass around his breast." Robur et as triplex is here put for 
robur ozris triplicis. — 12. Jlfricum. The west-south-west wind, answer- 
ing to the Atip of the Greeks. — 13. Jlquilonibus. The term Aquilo de- 
notes in strictness the wind which blows from the quarter directly oppo- 
site to that denominated Africus. A strict translation of both terms, 
however, would diminish, in the present instance, the poetic beauty of the 
passage. The whole may be rendered as follows : " The headlong fury 
of the south-west wind, contending with the north-eastern blasts." — 14. 
Tristes Hyadas. " The rainy Hyades." The Hyades were seven of the 
fourteen daughters of Atlas, their remaining sisters being called Pleiades. 
These virgins bewailed so immoderately the death of their brother Hyas, 
who was devoured by a lion, that Jupiter out of compassion, changed them 
into stars, and placed them in the head of Taurus, where they still re- 
tain their grief, their rising and setting being attended with heavy rains. 
Hence the epithet tristes ("weeping," "rainy,") applied to them by the poet.— 
1 5. Mria. Some commentators insist, that Adria is here used for the sea in 
general, because, as tire Adriatic faces the south-east, the remark of Ho- 
race cannot be true of the south. In the age of the poet, however, the 
term Jldria was used in a very extensive sense. The sea which it desig- 
nated, was considered as extending to the southern coast of Italy, and 
the western shores of Greece, and the Sinus Ionicus (corresponding ex- 
actly with the present gulf of Venice) was regarded merely as a part of it. 

17' — 19. 17. Q,uem mortis timuit gradum. " What path of death did 
he fear." i. e. what kind of death. Equivalent to quam viam ad Orcum, 
— 18. Rectis oculis. " With steady gaze," i. e. with fearless eye. Most 
editions read siccis oculis, which Bentley altered, on conjecture, to rectis. 
Others prefer fixis oculis. — 19. Et infames scopulos Acroceraunia. "And 
the Acroceraunia, ill-famed cliffs." The Ceraunia were a chain of moun- 
tains along the coast of Northern Epirus, forming part of the boundary 
between it and Illyricum. That portion of the chain which extended be- 
yond Oricum, formed a bold promontory, and was termed Acroceraunia 
('AKpoKtpavv'ia) from its summit, (a/cpa) being often struck by lightning 
(xtpawds). This coast was much dreaded by the mariners of antiquity 
because the mountains were supposed to attract storms, and Augustus 
narrowly escaped shipwreck here when returning from Actium. The 
Acroceraunia are now called Monte Chimera. 

22 — 39. 22. Dissociabili. " Forbidding all intercourse." Taken in 
an active sense. — 24. Transsiliunt. "Bound contemptuously over." — 26. 
Jludax omnia perpeti. A Greek construction : Spacvs Trdvra rXrivat. " Bold- 
ly daring to encounter every hardship." — 25. Per vetitum et nefas. 
" Through what is forbidden by all laws both human and divine." The 
common text has vetitumnefas, which makes a disagreeable pleonasm. — 27 
Jitrox Iapeti genus. " The resolute son of lapetus." Prometheus. — 28. 
Fraude mala. " By an unhappy fraud." — 29. Post ignem atheria domo 
subductum. " After the fire was drawn down by stealth from its mansion 
in the skies." — 33. Corripuit gradum. " Accelerated its pace." Wehave 
here the remnant of an old tradition respecting the longer duration of life 
in primeval times. — 34. Expertus (est). "Essayed." — 36. Perrupit Ache- 
roJitu Herculeus labor. " The toiling Hercules burst the barriers of the 
lower world." Alluding to the descent of Hercules to t 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE IT. 281 

Acheron is here put figuratively for Orcus. The expression Hercideus 
labor is a Graecism, and in imitation of the Homeric form Bi;/ 'HpaicXnetv. 
(Od. 11.600.) So also Kdoro ? og(3ia (Pind.Pyth.il. 93. (TvSeos j3la {Jiesch. 
S. C. Th. 77.) &c— 39. Calum. Alluding to the battle of the giants 
with the gods. 



Ode 4. The Ode commences with a description of the return of spring. 
After alluding to the pleasurable feelings attendant upon that delightful 
season of the year, the poet urges his friend Sextius, by a favourite Epicu- 
rean argument, to cherish the fleeting hour, since the night of the grave 
would soon close around him and bring all enjoyment to an end. 

The transition in this ode, at the 13th line, has been censured by some 
as too abrupt. It only wears this appearance, however, to those who are 
unacquainted with ancient customs and the associated feelings of the 
Romans. " To one who did not know," observes Mr. Dunlop, "that the 
mortuary festivals almost immediately succeeded those of Faunus, the 
lines in question might appear disjointed and incongruous. But to a 
Roman, who at once could trace the association in the mind of the poet, 
the sudden transition from gaiety to gloom would seem but an echo of the 
sentiment which he himself annually experienced." 

1 — 4. 1. Solritur acris hyems, &c. "Severe winter is melting away 
beneath the pleasing change of spring and the western breeze." — Ve- 
ris. The spring commenced, according to Varro (R. R. 1. 23.) on the 
seventh day before the Ides of February ( 7 Feb.) on which day, according 
to Columella, the wind Favonius began to blow. — Favoni. The wind 
Favonius received its name either from its being favourable to vegetation, 
(favens geniturce,) or from its fostering the grain sown in the earth, (fo- 
venssata). — 2. Trahunt. "Drag down to the sea." Asthe ancients seldom 
prosecuted any voyages in winter, their ships during that season were 
generally drawn up on land, and stood on the shore supported by props. 
When the season for navigation returned, they were drawn to the water 
by means of ropes and levers, with rollers placed below. — 3. Igni. "In 
his station by the fite-side." — 4. Canis jrruinis. " With the hoar-frost." 
Pruina is from the Greek -npwivi]. 

5 — 7. 5. Cytherea. " The goddess of Cythera." Venus: so called 
from the island of Cythera, now Cerigo, near the promontory of Malea, 
in the vicinity of which island she was fabled to have risen from the sea. — 
Choros ducit. "Leads up the dances." — Imminente luna. " Under the full 
light of the moon." The moon is here described as being directly over 
head, and, by a beautiful poetic image, threatening as it were to fall. — 6. 
Junctazque Nymphis Gratia decentes. " And the graces, arbitresses of all 
that is lovely and becoming, joined hand in hand with the Nymphs." We 
have no single epithet in our language, which fully expresses the meaning 
of decenles in this and similar passages. The idea intended to be convey- 
ed is analogous to that implied in the to >ca\bv of the Greeks, ("omne qiiod 
pulchrumet decorum est") — 7. Dum graves Cyclopum, &c. "While glow- 
ing Vulcan kindles up Are laborious forges of the Cyclops." The epithet 
ardens is here equivalent to ftammis relucens, and beautifully describes the 
person of the god as glowing amid the light which streams from his forge. 
Horace is thought to have imitated in this passage some Greek poet of 
Sicily, who, in depicting the approach of spring, lays the scene in his na- 
tive island, with mount iEtna smoking in the distant horizon. The kite- 



55o^ EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE V. 

rior of the mountain is the fabled scene of Vulcan's labours ; and here 
he is busily employed in forging thunderbolts for the monarch of the skies 
to hurl during the storms of spring, which are of frequent occurrence in 
that climate. 

9 — 12. 9. Nitidwn. "Shining with unguents."— Caput impedire. 
At the banquets and festive meetings of the ancients, the guests were 
crowned with garlands of flowers, herbs, or leaves, tied and adorned with 
ribands, or with the inner rind of the linden tree. These crowns it was 
thought prevented intoxication. — Myrto. The myrtle was sacred to Ve- 
nus. — 10. Solutcc. "Freed from the fetters of winter." — 11. Fauno. 
Faunus, the guardian of the fields and flocks, had two annual festivals cal- 
led Faunalia, one on the Ides (13th) of February, and the other on the 
Nones (5th) of December. Both were marked by great hilarity and 
joy. — 12. Seuposcat agna, &c. " Either with a lamb if he demand one, or 
with a kid if he prefer that offering." 

13 — 16. 13. Pallida Mors, &c. " Pale death, advancing with impar- 
tial footstep, knocks for admittance at the cottages of the poor, and the 
lofty dwellings of the rich." Horace uses the term rex as equivalent to beatus 
or dives. As regards the apparent want of connection between this por- 
tion of the ode and that which immediately precedes, compare what has 
been said in the introductory remarks. — 15. Jnchoare. "Day after day to 
renew." — 16. Jam te premet nox, &c. The passage may be paraphrased 
as follows : "Soon will the night of the Grave descend upon thee, and the 
Manes of fable crowd around, and the shadowy home of Pluto become 
also thine own." The Zeugma in the verb premo, by which it is made to 
assume a new meaning in each clause of the sentence, is worthy of no- 
tice. By the Manes of fable are meant the shades of the departed, often 
made the theme of the wildest fictions of poetry. Some commentators, 
however, understand the expression in its literal sense, " the Manes of 
whom all is fable," and suppose it to imply the disbelief of a future state. 

17—18. 17. Simid. For Simul ac. — 18. Talis. This may either be 
the adjective, or else the ablative plural of talus. If the former, the 
meaning of the passage will be " Thou shalt neither cast lots for the so- 
vereignty of such wine as we have here, nor, &c." Whereas if talis be 
regarded as a noun, the interpretation will be, "Thou shalt neither cast 
lots with the dice for the sovereignty of wine, nor," &c. This latter mode 
of rendering the passage is the more usual one, but the other is certainly 
more animated and poetical, and more in accordance too with the very 
early and curious belief of the Greeks and Romans in relation to a future 
state. They believed that the souls of the departed, with the exception 
of those who had offended against the majesty of the gods, were occupied 
in the lower world with the unreal performance of the same actions which 
had formed their chief object of pursuit in the regions of day. Thus, the 
friend of Horace will still quaff" his wine in the shades, but the cup and its 
contents will be, like their possessor, a shadow and a dream : it will not 
be such wine as he drank upon the earth. — As regards the expression, 
"sovereignty of wine," it means nothing more than the office of arbiter 
bibendi, or "toast-master." (Compare Ode 2. 7. 25.) 



Ode 5. Pyrrha, having secured the affections of a new admirer, is ad- 
dressed by the poet, who had himself experienced her inconstancy and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOH. I. ODE VI. ggg 

faithlessness. He compares her youthful lover to one whom a sudden 
and dangerous tempest threatens to surprise on the deep,— himself to the 
mariner just rescued from the perils of shipwreck. 

1 — 5. 1. Multainrosa. " Crowned with many a rose." An imitation 
of the Greek idiom, kv crt<pdvois sTvai (Eurip. Here. Fur. 677.)— 2. Urguet. 
Understand te. " Prefers unto thee his impassioned suit." Urguet would 
seem to imply an affected coyness and reserve on the part of Pyrrha, in 
order to elicit more powerfully the feelings of him who addresses her. — 5. 
Simplex munditiis. "With simple elegance." Plain in thy neatness. 
(Milton.) — Fidem mutatosque deos. "Thy broken faith, and the gods 
adverse to his prayer." The gods, who once seemed to smile upon his 
suit, are now, under the epithet of "mutati" ("altered") represented as 
frowning upon it. 

7 — 12. 7. Nigris ventis. "With blackening clouds." The epithet 
nigri, here applied to the winds, is equivalent to " c alum nigrum reddentes." 
— 8. Emirabitur insolens. "Unaccustomed to the sight shall be lost in 
wonder at." — 9. Aurea. " All golden," i. e. possessing a heart swayed 
by the purest affection towards him. — 10. Vacuam. "Free from all 
attachment to another." — 11. Nescius aurcefallacis. Pyrrha is likened in 
point of fickleness to the wind." — 12. Nites. An idea borrowed from the 
appearance presented by the sea when reposing in a calm, its treacherous 
waters sparkling beneath the rays of the sun. 

13. Me tabida sacer, &c. Mariners rescued from the dangers of ship- 
wreck were accustomed to suspend some votive tablet or picture, together 
with their moist, vestments, in the temple of the god by whose interposi- 
tion they believed themselves to have been saved. In these pain-tings the 
storm, and the circumstances attending their escape, were carefully de- 
lineated. Ruined mariners frequently carried such pictures about with 
them, in order to excite the compassion of those whom they chanced to 
meet, describing at the same time in songs the particulars of their story. 
Horace in like manner speaks of the votive tablet which gratitude has 
prompted him to offer in thought, his peace of mind having been nearly 
shipwrecked by the brilliant but dangerous beauty of Pyrrha. 



Ode 6. M. Vipsanius Agrippa, to whom this ode is addressed, is 
thought to have complained of the silence which Horace had preserved in 
relation to him throughout his various pieces. The poet seeks to justify 
himself on the ground of his utter inability to handle so lofty a theme. 
" Varius will sing thy praises, Agrippa, with all the fire of a second Ho- 
mer. For my own part, I would as soon attempt to describe in poetic 
numbers the god of battle, or any of the heroes of the Iliad, as under- 
take to tell of thy fame and that of the royal Caesar." The language, 
however, in which the bard's excuse is conveyed, while it speaks a high eu- 
logium on the characters of Augustus and Agrippa, proves at the same 
time, how well qualified he was to execute the task which he declines. 

Sanadon, without the least shadow of probability, endeavours to trace 
an allegorical meaning throughout the entire ode. He supposes Pollio to 
be meant by Archilles, Agrippa and Messala by the phrase duplicis Ulixei, 
Antony and Cleopatra by the "house of Pelops," Statilius Taurus by the 
god Mars, Marcus Titius by Meriones, and Maecenas by the son of 
Tydeus. 



»»4 EXPLANATORT NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE TI. 

1. Scriberis Vario, &c. " Thou shalt be celebrated by Varius, a bird of 
Maeonian strain, as valiant," &c. Vario and aliti are datives, put by a 
Grascism for ablatives. — The poet to whom Horace here alludes, and 
who is again mentioned on several occasions, was Lucius Varius, famed 
for his epic and tragic productions, duintilian (10. 1.) asserts, that a 
tragedy of his, entitled Thyestes, was deserving of being compared with 
any of the Grecian models. He composed also a panegyric on Augus- 
tus, of which the ancient writers speak in terms of high commendation. 
Macrobius (Sat. 6. 1.) has preserved some fragments of a poem of his on 
death. Varius was one of the friends who introduced Horace to the no- 
tice of Maecenas, and, along with Plotius Tucca, was entrusted by Au- 
gustus with the revision of the iEneid. It is evident that this latter poem 
could not have yet appeared when Horace composed the present ode, 
since he would never certainly, in that event, have given Varius the prefer- 
ence to Virgil. For an account of the literary imposture of Heerkens in 
relation to a supposed tragedy of Varius's, entitled Tereus, consult 
Schoell, Hist. Lit. Rom. vol. 1. 212. seqq. 

2 — 5. 2. Mceonii carminis aliti. The epithet "Maeonian," contains an 
allusion to Homer, who was generally supposed to have been born near 
Smyrna, and to have been consequently of Masonian (i. e. Lydian ) de- 
scent. The term aliti refers to a custom in which the ancient poets often 
indulged of likening themselves to the eagle and the swan. — 3. Quam rem 
cunqve. " For whatever exploit," i. e. quod attinet ad rem, quamcunque, 
&c. — 5. JlgiHppa. M. Vipsanius Agrippa, a celebrated Roman of hum- 
ble origin, but who raised himself by his civil and military talents to some 
of the highest offices in the empire. He gained two celebrated naval vic- 
tories for Augustus, the one at Actiui;:, and the other over the fleet of Sex- 
ius Ponipeius, near Mylas off the coast of Sicily. Agrippa was distin- 
guished also for his successes in Gaul and Germany. He became event- 
ually the son-in-law of the emperor, having married, at his request, Ju- 
lia the widow of Marcellus. The Pantheon was erected by him. 

5 — 12. 5. Nee gravcm Pelidce stomachum, &c. " Nor the fierce resent- 
ment of the unrelenting son of Peleus," alluding to the wrath of A- 
chilles, the basis of the Iliad, and his beholding unmoved, amid his anger 
against Agamemnon, the distresses and slaughter of his countrymen. — 
7. Nee cursus duplicis, &c. "The wanderings of the crafty Ulysses." — 8. 
Scevam Pelopisdomum. Atreus, Thyestes, Agamemnon, Orestes, &c. the 
subjects of tragedies. — 10. Imbellisque lyrcz Musa potens. "And the 
Muse that sways the peaceful lyre." Alluding to his own inferiority in 
epic strain, and his being better qualified to handle sportive and amatory 
themes. — 12. Cidpa deterere ingeni. "To diminish (i. e. weaken) by 
any want of talent on our part." 

14 — 20. 14. Digne. "In strains worthy of the theme." — 15. Meri- 
onen. Meriones, charioteer and friend of Idomeneus. — 16. Tydiden. Dio- 
mede, son of Tydeus. — Superis parem. "A match for the inhabitants of 
the skies." Alluding to the wounds inflicted on Venus and Mars by the 
Grecian warrior. — 17. Nos convivia, &c. "We, whether free from all at- 
tachment to another, or whether we burn with any passion, with our 
wonted exemption from care, sing of banquets ; we sing of the contests 
of maidens, briskly assailing with pared nails their youthful admirers." — 
18. Sectis. Bentley conjectures strictis, which conveys, however, rather 
the idea of a serious contest. 



EXFLANATORT NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE VII. 285 

Ode 7. Addressed to L. Munatius Plancus, who had become suspect- 
ed by Augustus of disaffection, and meditated, in consequence, retiring 
from Italy to some one of the Grecian cities. As far as can be conjec- 
tured from the present ode, Plancus had communicated his intention to 
Horace, and the poet now seeks to dissuade him from the step, but in 
such a way, however, as not to endanger his own standing with the empe- 
ror. The train of thought appears to be as follows : " I leave it to others 
to celebrate the far-famed cities and regions of the rest of the world. 
My admiration is wholly engrossed by the beautiful scenery around the 
banks and falls of the Anio." (He here refrains from adding " betake 
yourself, Plancus, to that lovely spot," but merely subjoins,) "The south 
wind, my friend, does not always veil the sky with clouds. Do you there- 
fore bear up manfully under misfortune, and, wherever you may dwell, 
chase away the cares of life widi mellow wine, taking Teucer as an exam- 
ple of patient endurance worthy of all imitation." 

1. Laudabunt alii. "Others are wont to praise." This peculiar usage 
of the future is in imitation of a Greek idiom, of no unfrequent occur- 
rence: thus aTi^aovat (Hes. epy. ical fifx. 1S5.) for art/x^v <pt\ovai, and ixiji- 
i[iovTai ( id. ibid. 186. ) for ^^ipeadai (piXovai. For other examples, compare 
Grcevius, Led. Hes. c. 5. and Matthim. G. G. § 503. 4. 

Claram Rhodon. "The sunny Rhodes." The epithet claram is 
here commonly rendered by "illustrious," which weakens the force of 
the line by its generality, and is decidedly at variance with the well- 
known skill displayed by Horace in the selection of his epithets. The in- 
terpretation, which we have assigned to the word, is in full accordance with 
a passage of Lucan (8. 248.) " Claramque reliquit sole Rhodon." Pliny (H. 
N. 2. 62.) informs us of a boast on the part of the Rhodians, that not a 
day passed during which their island was not illumined for an hour at 
least by the rays of the sun, to which luminary it was sacred. — Mitylenen. 
Mitylene, the capitol of Lesbos, and birth place of Pittacus, Alcaeus, 
Sappho, and other distinguished individuals. Cicero, in speaking of this 
city, (2 Oral, in Rull. 14.) says, " U7-bs, el natura, el situ et descriptione czdifi,- 
ciorum, et pulchritudine, in primis nobilis." 

2 — 4. 2. Epheson. Ephesus, a celebrated city of Ionia, in Asia Mi- 
nor, famed for its temple and worship of Diana. — Bimarisve Corinthi ma- 
nia. " Or the walls of Corinth, situate between two arms of the sea." 
Corinth lay on the isthmus of the same name, between the Sinus Corin- 
thiacus (Gulf o(JLepanto) on the west, and -the Sinus Saronicus (Gulf 
of Engia ) on the south-east. Its position was admirably adapted for 
commerce. — 3. Vel Baccho Thebas, &c. " Or Thebes ennobled by Bac- 
chus, or Delphi by Apollo." Thebes, the capital of Baeotia, was the 
fabled scene of the birth and nurture of Bacchus. — Delphi was famed 
for its oracle of Apollo. The city was situate on the southern side of 
mount Parnassus. — i.Tempe. The Greek accusative plural, Tt>t7r»7,con- 
tracted from Ti^za, Tempe was a beautiful valley in Thessaly, between 
the mountains Ossa and Olympus, and through which flowed the Peneus. 

5 — 7. 5. Intactce. Palladis arces. "The citadel of the virgin Pallas." 
Alluding to the acropolis of Athens, sacred to Minerva. — 7. Indeque de- 
cerptam fonti, &c. "And to place around their brow the olive crown, de- 
served and gathered by them for celebrating such a theme." The olive was 
sacred to Minerva. — Some editions read " U7idique " for " Indeque,' 1 '' and 
the meaning will then be " To place around their brow the olive crown 
deserved and gathered by numerous other bards." The common lee- 



ZSt> EXPLANATORY NOTES. — "BOOK I. ODE VII. 

tion Undique decerptae frondi, &c. must be rendered, "To prefer the oHve- 
leaf to every other that is gathered." 

9 — 1 1. 9. Aptum equis Jlrgos. " Argos well-fitted for the nurture of 
steeds." An imitation of the language of Homer "Apyeos \inrofi6Toio (II. 
2.287.) Ditesque Mycenas. Compare Sophocles (Electr. 9.) Miuojvaj raj 
■Ko\vxptoovs — 10. Patiens Lacedcemon. Alluding to the patient endu- 
rance of the Spartans under the severe institutions of Lycurgus. — 11. La- 
risscz campus opimce. Larissa, the old Pelasgic capital of Thessaly, was 
situate on the Peneus, and famed for the rich and fertile territory in which 
it stood. — Tarn percussit. " Has struck with such warm admiration." 

12. Domus JllbunecB resonanlis. "The home of A'.bunea, re-echoing to 
the roar of waters." Commentators and tourists are divided in opinion re- 
specting the domus Albunece. The general impression, however, seems 
to be, that the temple of the Sibyl, on the summit of the cliff at Tibur, 
(now Tivoli) and overhanging the cascade, presents the fairest claim to 
this distinction. It is described as being at the present day a most beauti- 
ful ruin. " This beautiful temple," observes a recent traveller, " which 
stands on the very spot where the eye of taste would have placed it, and 
on which it ever reposes with delight, is one of the most attractive features 
of the scene, and perhaps gives to Tivoli its greatest charm." (Rome in 
the Nineteenth Century, vol. 2. p. 398. Am. ed.) Among the arguments 
in favour of the opinion above stated, it may be remarked, that Varro, as 
quoted by Lactantius (de Falsa Rel. 1.6.) gives a list of the ancient Sibyls, 
and, among them, enumerates the one at Tibur, surnamed Albunea, as 
the tenth and last. He farther states that she was worshipped at Tibur, 
on the banks of the Anio. Suidas also says, AcKdrn ^ T&ovfria, 6v6jiaTt. 
'AXSuwala. Eustace is in favour of the "Grotto of Neptune," as it is 
called at the present day, a cavern in the rock, to which travellers descend 
in order to view the second fall of the Anio. ( Class. Tour. vol. 2. p. 230. 
Lond. ed.) Others again suppose that the domus Albunece was in the 
neighbourhood of the Aqua Albuloz, sulphureous lakes, or now rather 
pools, close to the Via Tiourlina, leading from Rome to Tibur ; and it is 
said, in defence of this opinion, that, in consequence of the hollow ground 
in the vicinity returning an echo to footsteps, the spot obtained from 
Horace the epithet of resonanlis. (S'pence's Polymetis.) The idea is cer- 
tainly an ingenious one, but it is conceived that such a situation would 
give rise to feelings of insecurity rather than of pleasure. 

13 — 15. 13. Prozceps Anio. " The headlong Anio." This river, now 
the Teverone, is famed for its beautiful cascades, near the ancient town of 
Tibur, now Tivoli. — Tiburni lucxis. This grove, in the vicinity of Tibur, 
took its name from Tiburnns, who had here divine honours paid to his 
memory. Tradition made him, in conjunction with his brothers Catillus 
and Coras (all three being sons of Amphiaraus,) to have led an Argive 
colony to the spot and founded Tibur. — 15. Albus ut obscuro. Some 
editions make this the commencement of a new ode, on account of the 
apparent want of connectioa between this part and what precedes ; but 
consult the introductory remarks to the present ode, where the connec- 
tion is fully shown. By the Albus Notus "the clear south wind," is 
meant the Acvk6voto^ or 'Apyfor^s Ndros (II. 11. 306.) of the Greek~s7"This 
wind, though for the most part a moist and damp one, whence its 
name (nu'rof, a ron's, "moisture," "humidity,") in certain seasons of the 
year well rxterited the appellation here given jl bv Horace, producing clear 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE VIII. 287 

and serene weather. — Deterget. " Chases away." Literally " wipes 
away." 

19 — 22. 19. Mollimero. " With mellow wine." Some editions place 
a comma after tristiliam in the previous line, and regard molli as a verb in 
the imperative : " and soften the toils of life, O Plancus, with wine." — 21. 
Tui. Alluding either to its being one of his favourite places of retreat, or, 
more probably, to the villa which he possessed there. — Teucer. Son of 
Telamon, King of Salamis, and brother of Ajax. Returning from the 
Trojan war, he was banished by his father for not having avenged his 
brother's death. Having sailed, in consequence of this, to Cyprus, he there 
built a town called Salamis, after the name of his native city and island. — 
22. Lyceo. " With wine." Lyoeus is from the Greek A.va7os, an appella- 
tion given to Bacchus, in allusion to his freeing the mind from care, (Avuv, 
"to loosen," "to free.") Compare the Latin epithet Liber ("qui liberat 
a cura") 

23 — 32. 23. Populea. The poplar was sacred to Hercules. Teucer 
wears a crown of it on the present occasion, either as the general badge of 
a hero, or because he was offering a sacrifice to Hercules. The white, or 
silver, poplar is the species here meant. — 26. socii comitesque. " O 
companions in arms and followers." Socii refers to the chieftains who 
were Iris companions: comites, to their respective followers. — 27. Auspice 
Teucro. " Under the auspices of Teucer." — 29. Jimbiguam tellure nova, 
&c. " That Salamis will become a name of ambiguous import by reason 
of a new land." A new city of Salamis shall arise in a new land, 
(Cyprus) so that whenever hereafter the name is mentioned men will be 
in doubt, for the moment, whether the parent city is meant, in the island 
of the same name, or the colony in Cyprus. — 32. Cras ingens iterabimus 
aquor. " On the morrow, we will again traverse the mighty surface of 
the deep." They had just returned from the Trojan war, and were now 
a second time to encounter the dangers of ocean. 



Ode 8. Addressed to Lydia, and reproaching her for detaining the 
young Sybaris, by her alluring arts, from the manly exercises in which he 
had been accustomed to distinguish himself. 

2 — 5. 2. Jlmando. "By thy love." — 4. Campurn. Alluding to the 
Campus Martius, the scene of the gymnastic exercises of the Roman 
youth. — Pattens pxdveris atque solis. " Though once able to endure the 
dust and the heat." — 5. Militaris. "In martial array." Among the 
sports of the Roman youth, were some in which they imitated the costume 
and movements of regular soldiery. 

6 — 9. 6. JEquales. " His companions in years." Analogous to the 
Greek tovs ijAiKas. — Gallica nee lupatis, &c. "Nor manages the Gallic 
steeds with curbs fashioned like the teeth of wolves." The Gallic steeds 
were held" fif" high estimation by the Romans. Tacitus (Jinn. 2. 5.) 
speaks of Gaul's being at one time almost drained of its horses : "fessas 
Gallias ministrandis equis. They were, however, so fierce and spirited a 
breed as to render necessary the employment of "frenalupata," i. e. curbs 
armed with iron points resembling the teeth of wolves. Compare the 
corresponding Greek terms Xvkoi anS i%iv6i. Schneider. Worterb. s. v. — 
8. Flavum Tiberim. Compare Explanatory Notes, Ode 2. 13. of thi3 



288 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE IX. 

book. — 9. Olivum. " The oil of the ring." Wax was comonly mixed 
with it, and the composition was then termed ceroma («»;pai//a.) With this 
the wrestlers were anointed in order to give pliability to their limbs, and, 
after anointing their bodies, were covered with dust, for the purpose of 
affording their antagonists a better hold. (Compare Lucian, de Gym- 
nasiis, vol. 7. p. 189. ed. Bip.) The term ceroma (*»7pu/ia) is sometimes in 
consequence used for the ring itself. (Compare Plutarch, An seni sit gtr. 
resp. — vol. 12. p. 119. ed. Hutten. Seneca. Brevit. vit. 12. Plin. H. N. 
35.2.) 

10 — 16. 10. Armis. "By martial exercises." — 11. Sape disco, &c. 
"Though famed for the discus often cast, for the javelin often hurled, be- 
yond the mark." The discus (<5/<r«os) or coit, was round, flat, and perfo- 
rated in the centre. It was made either of iron, brass, lead, or stone, and 
was usually of great weight. Some authorities are in favour of a central 
aperture, others are silent on this head. The Romans borrowed this 
exercise from the Greeks, and among the latter the Lacedaemonians were 
particularly attached to it. — 12. Expedito. This term carries wit h it the 
idea of great skill as evinced by the ease of performing these exercises. — 
13. Ut marincc, &c. Alluding to the story of Achilles having been con- 
cealed in female vestments at the court of Lycomedes, King of Scyros, in 
order to avoid going to the Trojan war. — 14. Sub lacrymosce Trojoz funera. 
" On the eve of the mournful carnage of Troy." i. e. in the midst of the 
preparations for the Trojan war. — 15. Virttis cultus. "Manly attire." — 
16. In cadem et Lycias catervas. A Hendiadys. "To the slaughter of 
the Trojan bands." Lycias is here equivalent to Trojanas, and refers to 
the collected forces of the Trojans and their allies. 



Ode 9. Addressed to Thaliarchus, whom some event had robbed of 
his peace of mind. The poet exhorts his friend to banish care from his 
breast, and, notwithstanding the pressure of misfortune, and the gloomy 
severity of the winter-season, which then prevailed, to enjoy the present 
hour and leave the rest to the gods. 

The commencement of this ode would appear to have been imitated 
from Alcaeus. 

2. Soracte. Mount Soracte lay to the south-east of Falerii, in the ter- 
ritory of the Falisci, a part of ancient Etruria. It is now called Monte S. 
Silvesh-o, or, as it is by modern corruption sometimes termed, Sant' Oreste. 
On the summit was a temple and grove, dedicated to Apollo, to whom 
an annual sacrifice was offered by the people of the country distinguished 
by the name of Hirpii, who were on that account held sacred, and exempt- 
ed from military service and other public duties (Plin. H. N. 7. 2.) The 
sacrifice consisted in their passing over heaps of red hot embers, without 
being injured by the fire. (Compare Virgil, Aen. 11. 785. Sil. Ital. 5. 
175.) 

3. Laboi-antes. This epithet beautifully describes the forests as strug- 
gling and bending beneath the weight of the superincumbent ice and snow. 
As regards the present climate of Italy, which is thought from this and 
other passages of the ancient writers, to have undergone a material change, 
the following remarks may not prov"e unacceptable. "It has been 
tbought by some modern writers." observes Mr. Cramer, (referring to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE X. 289 

VJlbbt, du Bos, "Reflex, sur la Poesie et sur la Peinture," vol. 2. p. 298. 
and IS Abb 6 Longuerue, cited by Gibbon, " Miscellaneous Works," vol. 3. p. 
245.) "that the climate and temperature of Italy have undergone some 
change during the lapse of ages : that the neighbourhood of Rome, for 
instance, was colder than it is at present. This opinion seems founded on 
some passages of Horace (Ode. 1. 9. Epist. 1. 7. 10.) and Juvenal (Sat. 
6. 521.) in which mention is made of the Tibur as being frozen, and of the 
rest of the country as exhibiting all the severity of winter. But these are 
circumstances which happen as often in the present day as in the time of 
Horace ; nor is it a very uncommon thing to see snow in the streets of 
Rome in March, or even April. I witnessed a fall of snow there, on the 
12th of April, 1817. Whatever change may have taken place in some 
districts is probably owing to the clearing away of great forests, or the 
draining of marshes, as in Lombardy, which must be allowed to be a 
much better cultivated and more populous country than it was in the time 
of the Romans. On the other hand, great portions of land now remain 
uncultivated which were once productive and thickly inhabited. The 
Campagna di Roma, part of Tuscany, and a great portion of Calabria are 
instances of the latter change." (Description of Ancient Italy, vol. 1. 
p. 10.) 

3 — 10. 3. Gelu acuto. " By reason of the keen frost." — 5. Dissolve 
frigus. "Dispell the cold." — 6. Benignius. "More plentifully." Re- 
garded by some as an adjective, agreeing with merum. " Rendered more 
mellow by age." — 7. Sabina diota. " From the Ssrhrrie jar." The vessel 
is here called Sabine, from its containing wine made in the country of the 
Sabines. The diota received its name from its having two handles or 
ears (<5is and ovs). It contained generally forty eight sextarii, about twenty 
seven quarts English measure. — 9. Qui simul stravere, &c. " For, as soon 
as they have lulled," &c. The relative is here elegantly used to introduce 
a sentence, instead of a personal pronoun with a particle.- -JEquore fervido. 
" Over the boiling surface of the deep." 

13 — 24. 13. Fuge quozrere. "Avoid enquiring." Seek not to know. 
— 14. Q_uod Fors dierum cunque dabit. A tmesis for quodcunque dierum 
fors dabit. — Lucro adpone. "Set clown as gain" — 16. Puer. "While 
still young." — Neque tu choreas. The use, or rather repetition, of the pro- 
noun before choreas is extremely elegant, and in imitation of the Greek. — 
17. Donee virenii, &c. "As long as morose old-age is absent from thee 
still blooming with youth. — IS. Campus et areas. " Rambles both in the 
Campus Martius and along the public walks." By arece are here meant 
those parts of the city that were free from buildings, the same probably as 
the squares and parks of modern days, where young lovers were fond of 
strolling. — Sub noctem. "At the approach of evening." — 21. JVwnc et 
Mentis, &.c. The order of the construction is, et nunc gratus risus (repe- 
tatur) ab inlimo angulo, proditor Mentis puellce. The verb repetatur is 
understood. The poet alludes to some youthful sport, by the rules of 
which a forfeit was exacted from the person whose place of concealment 
was discovered, whether by the ingenuity of another, or the voluntary act 
of the party concealed. — 24. Male pertmacL " Faintly resisting." Pre- 
tending only to oppose. 



Ode 10. In praise of Mercury. Imitated, according to the Scholiast 
Porpbyrion, from the Greek poet Alcaeus. 



290 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I. ODE X. 

1 — 6. 1. Facunde. Mercury was regarded as the inventor of language, 
and the god of eloquence. — Nepos Atlantis. Mercury was the fabled son 
of Maia, one of the daughters of Atlas. — The word Atlantis must be pro- 
nounced here A-tlantis, in order to keep the penultimate foot a trochee. 
This peculiar division of syllables is imitated from the Greek. Thus 
cra-Qjia {Soph. Philoct. 490.), ts-kvov (ib. 874.). tc- X vvv (id. Track. 629.) 
&c. 2. Feros cultus hominum recentum. "The savage manners of the 
early race of men." The ancients believed that the early state of mankind 
was but little removed from that of the brutes. (Compare Horace, Serm. 
1. 3. 99. seqq.) — 3. Voce. " By the gift of language." — Catus. "Wisely.'" 
Mercury wisely thought, that nothing would sooner improve and soften 
down the savage manners of the primitive race of men than mutual inter- 
course, and the interchange of ideas by means of language. — Decora more 
palcestrce. " By the institution of the grace-bestowing patestra." The 
epithet decora is here used to denote the effect produced on the human 
frame by gymnastic exercises. — 6. Curvoz lyra parentem. " Parent of the 
bending lyre." Mercury (Hymn, in Merc. 20. seqq.) is said, while still an 
infant, to have formed the lyre from a tortoise which he found in his path, 
stretching seven strings over the hollow shell, (irrra '<5f ovp.<p&vov<; dtuv 
iraviaaaro x°pd"S-) Hence the epithets 'Epnairi and KvWwatv, which are 
applied to this instrument, and hence also the custom of designating it by 
the terms xf'Au?, chelys, testudo, &c. Compare Gray, (Progress of Poesy) 
"Enchanting shell." Another, and probably less accurate, account makes 
this deity to have discovered on the banks of the Nile, after the subsiding 
of an inundation, the shell of a tortoise with nothing remaining of the body 
but the sinews : these when touched emitted a musical sound, and gave 
Mercury the first hint of the lyre. (Compare Germ. c. 23. Isidor. Orig. 3. 
4.) It is very apparent that the fable, whatever the true version may be, 
has an astronomical meaning, and contains a reference to the seven 
planets, and to the pretended music of the spheres. 

9 — 11. 9. Te boves olim nisi reddidhses, &c. "While Apollo, in former 
days, seeks, with threatening accents to terrify thee, still a mere stripling, 
unless thou didst restore the cattle removed by thy art, he laughed to find 
himself deprived also of his quiver." — Boves. The cattle of Admetus 
were fed by Apollo on the banks of the Amphrysus, in Thessaly, after 
that deity had been banished for a time from the skies for destroying the 
Cyclopes. Mercuiy, still a mere infant, drives offfifty of the herd, and con- 
ceals them near the Alpheus, nor does he discover the place where they 
are hidden until ordered so to do by his sire. (Hymn, in Merc. 70. seqq.) 
Lucian (Dial. D. 7.) mentions other sportive thefts of the same deity, by 
which he deprived Neptune of his trident, Mars of his sword, Apollo of 
his bow, Venus of her cestus, and Jove himself of his sceptre. He 
would have stolen the thunderbolt also, had it not been too heavy and hot. 
(E( <5e pi) fiapvrtpos b Kcpavbg tjv, Kal iro\v to xvp tlxh k&keIvov av hdii'iXzTo. 
Lucian, I.e.) — 11. Viduus. A Graecism for viduum se sentiens. Horace, 
probably following Alcaeus, blends together two mythological events, 
which, according to other authorities, happened at distinct periods. The 
Hymn to Mercury merely speaks of the theft of the cattle, after which 
Mercury gives the lyre as a peace-offering to Apollo. The only allusion 
to the arrows of the god is where Apollo, after this, expresses his fear lest 
the son of Maia may deprive him both of these weapons and of the lyre 
itself. 

Aciiia, MaidSo; vii, hiaKTopt, iruiKiXoju^ra, 
pr) jioi avaicXtyps KiQ&pnv kcu KafnirvXa T(S|a. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XI. 291 

13 — 19. 13. Quin et Jltridas,$c. " Under thy guidance, too, the rich 
Priam passed unobserved the haughty sons of Atreus." Alluding to the 
visit which the aged monarch paid to the Grecian camp in order to ran- 
som the corpse of Hector. Jupiter ordered Mercury to be his guide, and 
to conduct him unobserved and in safety to the tent of Achilles. (Con- 
sult Homer, II. 24. 336, seqq.) — 14. Dives Priamus. Alluding not only to 
his wealth generally, but also to the rich presents which he was bearing 
to Achilles. — 15. Thessalo.s ignes. "The Thessalian watch fires." Re- 
ferring to the watches and troops of Achilles, through whom Priam had 
to pass in order to reach the tent of their leader. — 16. Fefellit. Equivalent 
here to the Greek s\a9sv. — 17. Tu pias Imtis, fyc. Mercury is here rep- 
resented in his most important character, as the guide of departed spirits. 
Hence the epithets of ij-vxa-rroinrds a.ndveicpoironiTog so often applied to him. 
The verb reponis in the present stanza receives illustration, as to its mean- 
ing, from the passage in Virgil, where the future descendants of iEneas are 
represented as occupying abodes in the land of spirits previously to their 
being summoned to the regions of day. (JEn. 6. 756, seqq.) — 18. Virgcv- 
que levem coerces, &c. An allusion to the coduceus of Mercury. — 19. 
Superis dcorum, a Grcecism for Superis diis. 



Ode 11. Addressed to Leuconoe, by which fictitious name a female 
friend of the poet's is thought to be designated. Horace, having disco- 
vered that she was in the habit of consulting the astrologers of the day 
in order to ascertain, if possible, the term both of her own, as well as 
his, existence, entreats her to abstain from such idle enquiries, and leave 
the events of the future to the wisdom of the gods. 

1 — 4. 1. Tu tie qucesieris. " Enquire not, I entreat." The subjunc- 
tive mood is here used as a softened imperative, to express entreaty or 
request ; and the air of earnestness with which the poet addresses his 
female friend is increased by the insertion of the personal pronoun — 2. 
Finem. "Term of existence." — Bdbylonios numeros. "Chaldean tables." 
The Babylonians, or, more strictly speaking, Chaldeans, were the great 
astrologers of antiquity, and constructed tables for the calculation of 
nativities and the prediction of future events. This branch of charlata- 
nism made such progress and attained so regular a form among them, 
that subsequently the terms Chaldean and Astrologer became completely 
synonimous. — 3. Ut melius. *' How much better is it." — 4. Ultimam. 
" This as the last." 

4 — S. 4. Qwe nunc oppositis, &c. "Which now breaks the strength 
of the Tuscan sea on the opposing rocks corroded by its waves." By the 
term pumicibus are meant rocks corroded and eaten into caverns by the 
constant dashing of the waters. — 5. Vina liques. " Filtrate thy wines." 
The wine-strainers of the Romans were made of linen, placed round a 
frame-work of osiers, shaped like an inverted cone. In consequence 
of the various solid or viscous ingredients which the ancients added to 
their wines, frequent straining became necessary to prevent inspissation. 
— Spatio brevi. " In consequence of the brief span of human existence." 
— 8. Carpe diem. " Enjoy the present day." 



Ode 12. Addressed to Augustus. — The poet, intending to celebrate 
28 



U9Z • EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE. XII. 

the praises of his imperial master, pursues a course extremely flattering to 
the vanity of the latter, by placing his merits on a level with those of 
gods and heroes. 

1 — 6. 1. Quern virum ant heroa. "What living or departed hero." 
Compare the remark of the scholiast, " Quern virum de vivis ? quern heroa 
de mortuis ?" — Lyra vel acri tibia. " On the lyre, or shrill-toned pipe." i. e. 
in strains adapted to either of these instruments. — 2. Celebrare. A Gra?- 
cism, for ad celebrandum. — Clio. The first of the nine muses, and pre- 
siding over epic poetry and history. — 3. Jocosa imago. "Sportive echo." 
Understand vocis. — 5. In umbrosis Ileliconis oris. " Amid the shady bor- 
ders of Helicon." A mountain in Bceotia, one of the favourite haunts 
of the Muses. — 6. Super Pindo. "On the summit of Pindus." The 
chain of Pindus separated Thessaly from Epirus. It was sacred to 
Apollo and the Muses. — Hcemo. Mount Hasmus stretches its great belt 
round the north of Thrace, in a direction nearly parallel with the coast 
of the iEgean. The modern name is Endneh Dag, or Balkan. 

7 — 15. 7. Vocalem. "The tuneful." — Temere. "In wild confusion." 
The scene of this wonderful feat of Orpheus was near Zone, on the 
coast of Thrace. (Mela, 2. 2.) — 9. Arte materna. Orpheus was the fa- 
bled son of Calliope, one of the Muses. — 11. Blandwn et auritas, &c. 
"Sweetly persuasive also to lead along with melodious lyre the listening 
oaks," i. e. who with sweetly persuasive accents and melodious lyre 
led along, &c. The epithet auritas is here applied to quercus by a bold 
image. The oaks are represented as following Orpheus with pricked-up 
ears. — 13. Quid prim dicam, &c. "What shall I celebrate before the 
accustomed praises of the Parent of us all ?" Some read parentum, in- 
stead of parentis, "What shall I first celebrate, in accordance with the ac- 
customed mode of praising adopted by our fathers ?" Others, retaining 
parentum, place an interrogation after dicam, and a comma after laudibus. 
"What shall I first celebrate in song? — In accordance with the accus- 
tomed mode of praising adopted by our fathers, I will sing of him who" 
&c — 15. Variis horis. " With its changing seasons." 

17 — 26. 17. Uncle. "From whom." Equivalent to ex quo. — 19. 
Proximos tamen, &c. "Pallas, however, enjoys honours next in impor- 
tance to his own." Minerva had her temple, or rather shrine, in the Capi- 
tol, on the right side of that of Jupiter, while Juno's merely occupied the 
left. Some commentators think that Minerva was the only one of the 
deities after Jupiter who had the right of hurling the thunderbolt. This, 
however, is expressly contradicted by ancient coins. (Rasche, Lex.Rei 
Numism. vol. 2.pt. 1. p.n22.—IIeyne, Excurs. ad Virg. JEn._ 1. 42.)-- -21. 
Prozliis audax Liber. The victories of Bacchus, and especially his con- 
quest of India, form a conspicuous part of ancient mythology. — 22. Scevis 
inimica Virgo belluis. Diana. Compare her Greek epithets Sripotcrdvos, 
and h^iaifia.— 25. Mciden. Hercules, grandson of Alcseus. — Puerosque 
Ledm. Castor and Pollux. — Hunc. Alluding to Castor. Compare the 
Homeric Katxropa 'ntMa/xov. (II. 3. 237.)— Blum. Pollux. Compare the 
Homeric m)| ayaQbv n.o\vfc<>Kza. (II. 1. c. ) — Pugnis. "In pugilistic en- 
counters," literally " with fists." 

27 — 27. Quorum simul cdba, &c. " For, as soon as the propitious 
star of each of them," &c. Mba is here used not so much in the sense 
of lucida and clara, as in that of purum ac serenum calum reddens. Com- 
pare the expression Mbus Notus, (Ode 1. 7. 15.) and Explanatory Notes 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XII. 293 

(Ode I. 3. 2.)— 29. Agitatus humor. " The foaming water." 31. P onto 
recumbit. " Subsides on the surface of the deep." — 34. Pompili. Nu- 
ma Pompilius. — Superbos Tarquini fasces. "The splendid fasces of Tar- 
quinius Superbus," i. e. the powerful reign of Tarquin the Proud. Com- 
mentators are in doubt whether the first or second Tarquin is here meant, 
and to most of them it appears incongruous and improper that mention 
of Tarquinius Superbus should be made in an ode which closes with the 
praises of Augustus. This difficulty, however, is easily explained. The 
phrase dubilo an prius memorem, far from being a mere poetic form, is 
meant to express actual doubt in the mind of the poet. The bard is un- 
certain, whether to award the priority in the scale of merit to Romulus, 
the founder of the eternal city, or to Numa, who first gave it civilization 
and regular laws, or to Tarquinius Superbus, who raised the regal au- 
thority"to the highest splendour, or to Cato, the last of the Republicans, 
who defended the old constitution until resistance became useless. — With 
respect to Cato, who put an end to his existence at Utica, the poet calls 
his death a noble one, without any fear of incurring the displeasure of Au- 
gustus, whose policy it was to profess an attachment for the ancient forms 
of the republic, and consequently for its defenders. — Some editors not 
comprehending the true meaning of the poet, read, on conjecture, Junii 
fasces, for Tarquini fasces, and suppose the allusion to be to the first Bru- 
tus. Bentley, also, thinking Catonis too bold, proposes Cwti. 

37 — 40. 37. Regulum. Compare Ode 3. 5. — Scauros. The house 
of the Scauri gave many distinguished men to the Roman republic. 
The most eminent among them were M. iEmilius Scaurus, princeps 
senatus, a nobleman of great ability, and his son M. Scaurus. The 
former held the consulship A. U. C. 639. Sallust gives an unfavourable 
account of him, (lug. 15.) Cicero, on the other hand, highly extols his 
virtues, abilities, and achievements, (de Off. 1. 22. el 30. — Ep. ad Lent. 
1. 9. — Brut. 29. — Orat. pro Murana, 7.) Sallust's account is evidently 
tinged with the party-spirit of the day. — 3S. Paidlum. Paullus iEmi- 
lius, consul with Terentius Varro, and defeated along with his col- 
league, by Hannibal, in the disastrous battle of Cannae. — Pa.no. " The 
Carthaginian." Hannibal. — 41. Incomptis curium capillis. Alluding to 
Manius Curius Dentatus, the conqueror of Pyrrhus. The expression in- 
comptis capitis, refers to the simple and austere manners of the early Ro- 
mans. — 40. Fabricium. C. Fabricius Luscinus, the famed opponent of 
Pyrrhus, and of the Samnites. It was of him Pyrrhus declared, that it 
would be more difficult to make him swerve from his integrity than to 
turn the sun from its course. (Compare Cic. de Off. 3, 22.- — Vol. Max. 
4. 3.) 

42 — 44. 42. Camillwn. M. Furius Camillus, the liberator of his 
country from her G allic invaders. — 43. S&va paupertas. As paupertas re- 
tains in this passage its usual signification, implying, namely, a want not 
of the necessaries, but of the comforts, of life, the epithet sceva is not en- 
titled here to its full force. The clause may therefore be rendered as fol- 
lows : " A scanty fortune, which inured to hardship its possessor." — 
Et avitus apto cum tare fundus. " And an hereditary estate with a dwel- 
ling proportioned to it." The idea intended to be conveyed is, that Cu- 
rius and Camillus, in the midst of scanty resources, proved far more use- 
ful to their country than if they had been the owners of the most exten- 
sive possessions, or the votaries of luxury. 



294 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XIII. 

4*5 — 47. 45. Crescit occulto, k.c. " The fame of Marcellus increases 
like a tree amid the undistinguished lapse of time." Alluding to the 
illustrious line of the Marcelli. The glory of this ancient house had 
survived the lapse of ages, and anew and illustrious scion was beginning 
to bloom in the young Marcellus, the son of Octavia and nephew of 
Augustus. — 46. Micat inter omnes, &c. The young Marcellus is here com- 
pared to a bright star, illuming with its effulgence the Julian line, 
and forming the hope and glory of that illustrious house. He married 
Julia, the daughter of Augustus, and was publicly intended as the suc- 
cessor of that emperor, but his early death, at the age of eighteen, frus- 
trated all these hopes and plunged the Roman world in mourning. Vir- 
gil beautifully alludes to him af the close of the sixth book of the iEneid. 
— 47. Jgnes minwes. " The feebler fires of the night." The stars. 

51 — 54. '51. Tu secundo Cozsare regnes. " Thou shalt reign in the 
heavens, with Csesar as thy vicegerent upon earth." — 53. Parthos Latio 
imminentes. Horace is generally supposed to have composed this 
ode at the time that Augustus was preparing for an expedition against 
the Parthians, whom the defeat of Crassus, and the check sustained 
by Antony, had elated to such a degree, that the poet might well 
speak of them as " now threatening the repose of the Roman world." 
Latio is elegantly put for Romano Imperio. — 54. Egerit justo triumpho. 
"Shall have led along in just triumph." The conditions of a "Jus- 
tus triumphus," in the days of the republic, were as follows : 1. The 
war must have been a just one, and waged with foreigners ; no triumph 
was allowed in a civil war. 2. Above 5000 of the enemy must have been 
slain in one battle, (Appian says it was in his time 10,000.) 3. By this 
victory the limits of the empire must have been enlarged. 

55 — 60. 55. Subjectos Orientis orce. "Lying along the borders of the 
East." By the Seres are evidently meant the natives of China, whom 
an overland trade for silk had gradually, though imperfectly, made known 
to the western nations. — 57. Te minoi: " Inferior to thee alone." Un- 
derstand solo. — 59. Parum castis. " Polluted." Alluding to the cor- 
rupt morals of the day. The ancients had a belief that lightning never 
descended from the skies except on places stained by some pollution 



Ode 13. Addressed to Lydia, with whom the Poet had very proba- 
bly quarrelled, and whom he now seeks to turn away from a passion 
for Telephus. He describes the state of his own feelings, when praises 
are bestowed by her whom he loves on the personal beauty of a hated 
rival ; and, while endeavouring to cast suspicion upon the sincerity of 
the latter's passion for her, he descants upon the joys of an uninterrupted 
union founded on the sure basis of mutual affection. 

2 — 8. 2. Cerviccm roseam. " The rosy neck." Compare Virgil, 
(JEn. 1. 402.) " Rosea cervice refulsit." The meaning of the poet is, a 
neck beautiful and fragrant as the rose. — 3. Cerea brachia. The epithet 
cerea, " waxen," carries with it the associate ideas of smoothness, or 
glossy surface, &c. the allusion being to the white wax of antiquity. 
Bentley, however, rejects cerea, and reads lactea. — DificUL " Difficult to 
be repressed." — 6. Manent. The plural is here employed, as equivalent 
to the double manet. This latter form would vitiate the measure. — Hu- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE XIV. 295 

mor el in genas, &c. " And the tear steals silently down my cheeks." — 
8. Lentis ignibus. " By the slow consuming fires." 

9 — 20. 9. Uror. " I am tortured at the sight." Equivalent to ad~ 
spectu crucior. — 10. Immodica mero. " Rendered immoderate by wine." 
— 12. Menwrem. "As a memorial of his passion." — 13. Si me satis aw- 
dias. " If you give heed to me." If you still deem my words worthy 
of your attention. — 14. Perpetuum. "That he will prove constant in his 
attachment." Understand fore. — Dulcia barbare Icedentem oscula. "Who 
barbarously wounds those sweet lips, which Venus has imbued with the 
fifth part of all her nectar." Each god, observes Porson, was supposed 
to have a given quantity of nectar at disposal ; and to bestow the fifth or the 
tenth part of this on any individual was a special favour. The common, 
but incorrect interpretation of quinta parte is "with the quintessence." 
— 18. Irrupta copula. " A.n indissoluble union." — 20. Suprema die. 
u The last day of their existence." 



Ode 14. Addressed to the vessel of the State, just escaped from the 
stormy billows of civil commotion, and in danger of being again exposed 
to the violence of the tempest. This ode appears to have been compo- 
sed at the time when Augustus consulted Maecenas and Agrippa whether 
he should resign or retain the sovereign authority. 

1 — 8. 1. navis, referunt, &c. " O ship ! new billows are bearing 
thee back again to the deep." The poet, in his alarm, supposes the ves- 
sel (i. e. his country) to be already amid the waves. By the term navis 
his country is denoted, which the hand of Augustus had just rescued from 
the perils of shipwreck ; and by mare the troubled and stormy waters of 
civil dissension are beautifully pictured to the view. — 2. Novi fluctus. 
Alluding to the commotions which must inevitably arise if Augustus 
abandons the helm of affairs. — 3. Portum. The harbour here meant is 
the tranquillity which was beginning to prevail under the government of 
Augustus. — Ut nudum remigio latus. "How bare thy side is of oars ?" 
— 6. Ac sinefunibus carina. " And thy hull, without cables to secure it." 
Some commentators think that the poet alludes to the practice usual 
among the ancients of girding their vessels with cables in violent storms, 
in order to prevent the planks from starting asunder. — 8. Imperiosius 
mquor. " The increasing violence of the sea." The comparative de- 
scribes the sea as growing every moment more and more violent. 

10 — 13. 10. D I. Alluding to the tutelary deities, whose images were 
accustomed to be placed, together with a small altar, in the stern of the 
vessel. The figurative meaning of the poet presents to us the guardian- 
deities of Rome offended at the sanguinary excesses of the civil wars, 
and determined to withold their protecting influence, if the state should 
be again plunged into anarchy and confusion. — 11. Pontica pinus. " Of 
Pontic pine." The pine of Pontus was hard and durable, and of great 
value in ship building. Yet the vessel of the state is warned by the 
poet not to rely too much upon the strength of her timbers.— 12. Silvoz 
filia nobilis. " The noble daughter of the forest." A beautiful ima^e, 
which Martial appears to have imitated, (14. 90.) " JVo?i sum Maura 'filia 
silvx. — 1 3. Et genus et nomen inutile. " Both thy lineage, and unavailing 
fame." The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole clause is as 



296 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XV. 

follows : " Idle, O my country ! will be the boast of thy former glories, 
and the splendour of thy ancient name." 

M — 20. 14. Pictis puppibus. Besides being graced with the statues 
of the tutelary deities, the sterns of ancient vessels were likewise embel- 
lished with paintings and other ornaments. — 15. Nisi debes ventis ludi- 
bnum. "Unless thou art doomed to be the sport of the winds." An 
imitation of the Greek idiom, S<p\civ yeXuira. — 17. Nuper soUicitum, &c. 
"Thou whowert lately a source of disquietude and weariness to me, who 
at present art an object of fond desire and strong apprehension," &c. The 
expression soUicitum tedium refers to the unquiet feelings which swayed 
the bosom of the poet during the period of the civil contest, and to the 
weariness and disgust which the long continuance of those scenes pro- 
duced in his breast. Under the sway of A ugustus, however, his country 
again becomes the idol of his warmest affections, (desiderium,) and a feel- 
ing of strong apprehension (cura non levls) takes possession of him, lest 
he may again see her involved in the horrors of civil war. — 20. Nilentes 
Cycladas. " TheCyclades conspicuous from afar." The epithet niten- 
tes appears to refer, not so much to the marble contained in most of these 
islands, as to the circumstance of its appearing along the coasts of many 
of the group, and rendering them conspicuous objects at a distance. 



Ode. 15. This ode is thought to have been composed on the breaking 
out of the last civil war between Octavianus and Antony. Nereus, the sea- 
god, predicts the ruin of Troy at the very time that Paris bears Helen 
over the iEgean sea from Sparta. Under the character of Paris, the 
poet, according to some commentators, intended to represent the infatu- 
ated Antony, whose passion for Cleopatra he foretold would be attended 
with the same disastrous consequences as that of the Trojan prince for 
Helen ; and under the Grecian heroes, whom Nereus in imagination 
beholds combined against Ilium, Horace, it has been said, represents the 
leaders of the party of Augustus. 

1 — 4. 1. Pastor. Paris, whose early life was spent among the 
shepherds of mount Ida, in consequence of his mother's fearful dream. 
Sanadon, who is one of those that attach an allegorical meaning to this 
ode, thinks that the allusion to Antony commences with the very first 
word of the poem, since Antony was one of the Luperci, or priests of 
Pan, the god of shepherds. — Traheret. " Was bearing forcibly away." 
Horace here follows the authority of those writers, who make Helen to 
have been carried off by Paris against her will. Some commentators, 
however, consider traheret, in this passage, as equivalent to lenta naviga- 
tione circumduceret, since Paris, according to one of the scholiasts and 
Eustathius, did not go directly from Lacedsemon to Troy, but, in ap- 
prehension of being pursued, sailed to Cyprus, Phoenicia, and Egypt. — 
Navibus Idmis. " In vessels made of the timber of Ida." — 3. Ingrato otio. 
" In an unwelcome calm." — 4. Vt caneret fera fata. " That he might 
foretell their gloomy destinies." 

5 — 12. 5. Mala avi. "Under evil omens." — 7. Conjurata tuas rum- 
pere nuptias, &c. " Bound by a common oath to sever the union between 
thee and thy loved one, and to destroy the ancient kingdom of Priam." 
The term nuptias is here used, not in its ordinary sense, but with refer- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE XT. 297 

ence to the criminal loves of Paris and Helen. — 9. Quantus sudor. 
" What toil." — 10. Quanta funer a. " What carnage." — 12. Et rdbiem 
parat. " And is kindling up her martial fury." The zeugma in parat, 
and the air of conciseness which it imparts to the style, are peculiarly 
striking. 

13 — 19. 13. Veneris prcesidio ferox. "Proudly relying on the aid of 
Venus." — 14. Grataque feminis, fyc " And distribute pleasing strains 
among women on the unmanly lyre." The expression carmina divider e 
feminis means nothing more than to execute different airs for different 
females in succession. The allegorical meaning is considered by some 
as being still kept up in this passage : Antony, according to Plutarch, 
lived for a time at Samos, with Cleopatra, in the last excesses of luxury, 
amid the delights of music and song, while all the world around were 
terrified with apprehensions of a civil war. — 16. Thalamo. " In thy bed- 
chamber." — 17. Calami spicula Gnossii. Gnossus, orCnossus, was one of 
the oldest and most important cities of Crete, situate on the river Ceratus. 
Hence Gnossius is taken by Synecdoche in the sense of "Cretan." The 
inhabitants ofCrete were famed for their skill in archery. — 18. Strepitum- 
que, et celerem sequi Jijacem. " And the din of battle, and Ajax swift in 
pursuit." The expression celerem sequi is a Grascism for celerem ad se- 
quendum. The Oilean Ajax is here meant. (Horn. II. 2. 527.) — 19. 
Tamen. This particle is to be referred to quamvis which is implied in 
serus, i. e. quamvis serus, tamen collines. " Though late in the con- 
flict, still," &c. 

21—28. 21. Laertiaden.". The son of Laertes." Ulysses. The Greek 
form of the patronymic (AaepTidSvs) comes from Aaiprios, for Aatprris. 
(Matthice, G. G. vol. 1. p. 130.) — The skill and sagacity of Ulysses were 
among the chief causes of the downfall of Troy. — 22. Pylium Nestora. 
There were three cities named Pylos, in the Peloponnesus, two in Elis 
and one in Messenia, and all laid claim to the honour of being Nestor's 
birth place. Strabo is. in favour of the Triphylian Pylos, in the district 
of Triphylia, in Elis. (Compare Heyne, ad II. 4.591: 11, 681.)— 23. 
Salaminius Teucer. Teucer, son of Telamon, King of Salamis, and 
brother of Ajax. — 24. Sthenelus. Son of Capaneus, and charioteer of 
Diomede. — 26. Merionen. Charioteer of Idomeneus, King of Crete. — 
28. Tydides melior patre. "The son of Tydeus, in arms superior to his 
sire." Horace appears to allude to the language of Sthenelus. (II. 4, 
405.) in defending himself and Diomede from the reproaches of Agamem- 
non, when the latter was marshalling his forces after the violation of the 
truce by Pandarus, and thought that he perceived reluctance to engage 
on the part of Diomede and his companion. 'H/*aj tol TtaripiDv iity ajidvo- 
ve; £*j%dju£0' eivai, are the words of Sthenelus. 

29 — 35. 29. Q,uemtu, cervus, &c. "Whom, as a stag, unmindful of its 
pasture, flees from a wolf seen by it in the opposite extremity of some 
valley, thou, effeminate one, shalt flee from with deep pantings, not hav- 
ing promised this to thy beloved." Compare Ovid, Her. 16. 356. — 33. 
Iracunda diem, &c. Literally, "The angry fleet of Achilles shall protract 
the day of destruction for Ilium, &c. i. e. the anger of Ach lies, who re- 
tired to his fleet, shall protract, &c. — 35. Post certas hiemes. "After a 
destined period of years." 



298 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XTI. 

Ode 16. Horace, in early life, had written some severe verses against 
a young female. He now retracts his injurious expressions, and lays the 
blame on the ardent and impetuous feelings of youth. The ode turns 
principally on the fatal effects of unrestrained anger. An old commen- 
tator informs us that the name of the female wasGratidia, and that she 
is the same with the Canidia of the Epodes. Aeron and Porphyrion call 
herTyndaris, whence some have been led to infer, that Gratidia, whom Ho- 
race attacked, was the parent, and that, being now in love with her daugh- 
ter Tyndaris, he endeavours to make his peace with the latter, by giving 
up his injurious verses to her resentment. Acron, however, farther states, 
that Horace in his Palinodia imitates Stesichorus, who, having lost his 
sight as a punishment for an ode against Helen, made subsequently a full 
recantation, and was cured of his blindness. Now, as Tyndaris was the 
patronymic appellation of Helen, why may not the Roman poet have 
merely transferred this name from the Greek original to his own produc- 
tion, without intending to assign it any particular meaning ? 

2 — 5. 2. Criminosis iambis. " To my injurious iambics." The iam- 
bic measure was originally applied to the purposes of satirical compo- 
sition. — 4. Mari Jldriano. The Adriatic is here put for water gene- 
rally. The ancients were accustomed to cast whatever they detested 
either into the flames or the water. — 5. JVim Dindymene, &.c. "Nor 
Cybele, nor the Pythian Apollo, god of prophetic inspiration, so agitate 
the minds of their priesthood in the secret shrines, Bacchus does not 
so shake the soul, nor the Corybantes when they strike with redoubled 
blows on the shrill cymbals, as gloomy anger rages." Understand 
quatiunt with Corybantes and irce respectively, and observe the expres- 
sive force of the zeugma. The idea intended to be conveyed, is, when 
divested of its poetic attire, simply this: "Nor Cybele, nor Apollo, nor 
Bacchus, nor the Corybantes, can shake the soul as does the power of 
anger." — Dindymene. The Goddess Cybele received this name from 
being worshipped on mount Dindymus, near the city of Pessinus in 
Galatia, a district of Asia Minor. 

6 — 11. 6. Incola Pythius. The term incola beautifully expresses the 
prophetic inspiration of the god : " habitans quasi in pectore." — S. Co- 
rybantes. Priests of Rhea, or Cybele, who were said to have brought, the 
worship of that goddess from Crete to Phrygia. — 9. Noricus ensis. The 
iron of Noricum was of an excellent quality, and hence the expression 
Noricus ensis u used to denote the goodness of a sword. Noricum, 
after its reduction under the Roman sway, corresponded nearly to the mo- 
dern dutchies of Carinthia and Styria. — 1 1. Savusignis. "The unsparing 
lightning :" The fire of the skies. — JVec tremendo, &c. " Nor Jove him- 
self, rushing down amid dreadful thunderings." Compare the Greek 
expression Ztfij Kara-i/Jar^;, applied to Jove hurling his thunderbolts. 

13 — 16. 13. Fertur Prometheus, &c. According to the fable, Pro- 
metheus, having exhausted his stock of materials in the formation of 
other animals, was compelled to take a part from each of them (particu- 
lam undique desectam), and added it to the clay which formed the primi- 
tive element of man (principi linw.) Hence the origin of anger, Pro- 
metheus having " placed in our breast the wild rage of the lion" (in- 
sanileonisvim,i.e.insa7iamleonisvim). — 16. Stomacho. The term sto- 
machus properly denotes the canal through which aliment descends into 
the stomach : it is then taken to express the upper orifice of the stomach 
(eompare the Greek xapiia), and finally the ventricle in which the food 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XVH. 299 

is digested. Its reference to anger or choler arises from the circum- 
stance of a great number of nerves being situated about the upper ori- 
fice of the stomach, which render it very sensible ; and from these also 
proceeds the great sympathy between the stomach, head, and heart. It 
was on this account Van Helmont thought that the soul had its seat in 
the upper orifice of the stomach. 

17 — 18. 17. Ira. " Angry contentions." — Thyesten. Alluding to 
the horrid story of Atreus and Thyestes. — 18. Etaltisurbibus, &c. "And 
have been the primary cause to lofty cities, why,&c." A Graeeism, for 
et ultimce stelere causa cur altce urbes funditus perirent, &c. " And have 
been the primary cause why lofty cities have been completely over- 
thrown, &c." The expression altis urbibus is in accordance with the 
Greek, afav Ttro^uOpov, xdXis ahcif]. The elegant use of stetere for exstitere 
or fuere must be noted. It carries with it the accompanying idea of 
something fixed and certain. Compare Virgil (JEn. 7. 735) "Slant belli 
causa." 

20 — 27. 20. Imprimeretque muris," &c. Alluding to the custom, 
prevalent among the ancients, of drawing a plough over the ground pre- 
viously occupied by the walls and buildings of a captured and ruined 
city. — 22. Compesce mentem. " Restrain thy angry feelings." — Pectoris 
fervor. " The glow of resentment." The poet lays the blame of his 
injurious effusion on the intemperate feelings of youth. — 24. Ctleres 
iambos. " The rapid iambics." The rapidity of this measure rendered 
it peculiarly fit to give expression to angry feelings. — 25. Mitibus mu- 
tare tristia. " To exchange bitter taunts for soothing strains." Mitibus, 
though, when rendered into our idiom, it has the appearance of a da- 
tive, is in reality the ablative, as being the instrument of exchange. — 
27. Recantatis opprobriis : " my injurious expressions being recanted." 
— Jlnimum. " My peace of mind." 



Ode 17. Horace, having in the last ode made his peace with Tyndaris, 
now invites her to his Sabine farm, where she will find retirement and se- 
curity from the brutality of 3yrus, who had treated her with unmanly 
rudeness and cruelty. In order the more certainly to induce an accep- 
tance of his offer, he depicts in attractive colours the salubrious position 
of his rural retreat, the tranquillity which reigns there, and the favouring 
protection extended to him by Faunus and the other gods. 

1 — 4. 1. Velox amcenum, &c. "Oft times Faunus, in rapid flight, 
changes mount Lycaeus for the fair Lucretilis." Lycceo is here the abla- 
tive, as denoting the instrument by which the change is made. — Luci-etilem. 
Lucretilis was a mountain in the country of the Sabines, and amid its 
windings lay the farm of the poet. — 2. Lycceo. Mount Lycieus was situ- 
ate in the south western angle of Arcadia, and was sacred to Faunus or 
Pan. — Faunus. Faunus, the god of shepherds and fields among the 
Latins, appears to have been identical with the Pan of the Greeks. — 
3. Defendit. " Wards off" — 4. Pluviosque ventos. ' : And the rainy 
winds." The poet sufficiently declares the salubrious situation of his 
Sabine farm, when he speaks of it as being equally sheltered from the 
fiery heats of summer, and the rain-bearing winds, the sure precursors of 
disease. 



300 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XTII. 

5—17. 5. Jlrbutos. Compare the note on Ode 1. 1. 21. — 6. Thyma. 
The thyme of the ancients is not our common thyme, but the thymus capi- 
talus, qui Dioscoridis, which now grows in great plenty on the mountains 
of Greece. — 7. Olentis uxores mariti. " The wives of the fetid husband." 
A periphrasis for capraz. — 9. Martiales lupos. Wolves were held sacred 
to Mars, from their fierce and prcedatory nature. — Hcedulea. The com: 
mon reading is haidilia, which vitiates the metre, its antepenult being long. 
By hcedulece are meant the young female kids. — 10. Utcunque. "When- 
ever." For quandocunque. — 11. Usticcz cubantis. "Of the recumbent 
Ustica." This was a small mountain near the poet's farm. — 12. Levia. 
In the sense of attrita: "worn smooth by the mountain rills." — 14. Hie 
tibi copia, &c. " Here a rich store of rural honours shall flow in to thee, in 
full abundance, from the bounteous horn of Fortune." Jid plenum is ele- 
gantly used for abundanter. — 17. In reducta valle. "In a winding vale." — 
Caniculce. Certain days in the summer, preceding and ensuing the heli- 
acal rising of Canicula, or " the dog-star," in the morning, were called Dies 
Caniculares. The ancients believed that this star, i-ising with the sun, 
and joining its influence to the fire of that luminary, was the cause of 
the extraordinary heat which usually prevailed in that season ; and ac- 
cordingly they gave the name of dog-days to about six or eight weeks of 
the hottest part of summer. This idea originated, as some think, with 
the Egyptians, and was borrowed from them by the Greeks. The Ro- 
mans sacrificed a brown dog every year to Canicula, at its rising, to ap 
pease its rage. 

18 — 21. 18. Fide Teia. " On the Teian lyre," i. e. in Anacreontic strain. 
Anacreon was born at Teos in Asia Minor. — 1 9. Laborantes in uno. "Striv- 
ing for one and the same hero," i. e. Ulysses. — 20. Vitreamque Circen. "And 
the beauteous Circe." Vitrea appears to be used here in the sense of for- 
mosa, splendida, and to contain a figurative allusion to the brightness and 
transparency of glass. 21. Innocentis Lesbii. The Lesbian wine, ob- 
serves Henderson, would seem to have possessed a delicious flavor, for it 
is said to have deserved the name of ambrosia rather than of wine, and to 
have been like nectar when old. (Jlthenceus 1. 22.) Horace terms the 
Lesbian an innocent or unintoxicating wine ; but it was the prevailing opin- 
ion among the ancients, that all sweet wines were less injurious to the 
head, and less apt to cause intoxication, than the strong dry wines. By 
Pliny, however, the growths of Chios and Thasos are placed before the 
Lesbian, which, he affirms, had naturally a saltish taste. History of An- 
cient and Modern Wines, p. 77. 

22—27. 22. Duces. " Thou shalt quaff."— 23. Semeleius Thyoneus. 
"Bacchus, offspring of Semele." This deity received the name of Thyo- 
neus, according to the common account, from Thyone, an appellation of 
Semele. It is more probable, however, that the title in question was de- 
rived airo tov Sueiv, a furendo. — 24. Nee metues protervum, &c. "Nor 
shalt thou, an object of jealous suspicion, fear the rude Cyrus." — 25. Male 
dispari. "Ill fitted to contend with him." — 26. Inconlinentes. "Rash." 
" Violent." — 27. Coronam. Previous to the introduction of the second 
course, observes Henderson, the guests were provided with chaplets of 
leaves or flowers, which they placed on their foreheads or temples, and 
occasionally, also, on their cups. Perfumes were at the same time offered 
to such as chose to anoint their face and hands, or have their garlands 
sprinkled with them. This mode of adorning their persons, which was 
borrowed from the Asiatic nations, obtained so universally among the 
Greeks and Romans, that, by almost every author after the time of Ho- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XVIII. 301 

mer, it is spoken of as the necessary accompaniment of the feast. It is 
said to have originated from a belief, that the leaves of certain plants, as 
the ivy, myrtle, and laurel, or certain flowers, as the violet and rose, pos- 
sessed the power of dispersing the fumes and counteracting the noxious 
effects of wine. On this account the ivy has been always held sacred to 
Bacchus, and formed the basis of the wreathes with which his images, 
and the heads of his worshippers, were encircled ; but, being deficient in 
smell, it was seldom employed for festal garlands ; and, in general, the 
preference was given to the myrtle, which, in addition to its cooling or 
astringent qualities, was supposed to have an exhilirating influence on the 
mind. On ordinary occasions the guests werecontented with simple wreaths 
from the latter shrub ; but, at their gayer entertainments, its foliage was en- 
twined with roses and violets, or such other flowers as were in season, and 
recommended themselves by the beauty of their colours, or thefragrancy of 
their smell. Much taste was displayed in the arrangement of these garlands, 
which was usually confided to female hands ; and, as the demand for 
them was great, the manufacture and sale of them became a distinct 
branch of trade. To appear in a disordered chaplet was reckoned a sign 
of inebriety; and a custom prevailed, of placing a garland, confusedly put 
together, (x»ia1ov arefdvov,) on the heads of such as were guilty of excess 
in their cups. History of Ancient and Modem wines, p. 119, seqq. 



Ode. 18. Varus, the Epicurean, and friend of Augustus, of whom 
mention is made by Q,uintilian, (6. 3. 78.) being engaged in setting out 
trees along his Tiburtine possessions, is advised by the poet to give the 
"sacred vine" the preference. Amid the praises, however, which he bestows 
on the juice of the grape, the bard does not forget to inculcate a useful 
lesson as to moderation in wine. — The Varus to whom this ode is ad- 
dressed, must not be confounded with the individual of the same name, 
who killed himself in Germany after his disastrous defeat by Arminius. 
He is rather the poet GLuintilius Varus, whose death, which happened A. 
U. C. 729, Horace deplores in the 24th Ode of this book. 

1 — 4. 1. Sacra. The vine was sacred to Bacchus, and hence the 
epithet a^eXoipvTwp, ("father of the vine,") which is applied to this god. — 
Prius. "In preference to." — Severis. The subjunctive is here used as a 
softened imperative : " Plant, I entreat." Consult Zmnpt, L. G. p. 331. 
Kern-kit's transl. — 2. Circa mite solum Tiburis. "In the soil of the mild 
Tibur, around the walls erected by Catilus." The preposition circa is 
here used with solum, as epl sometimes is in Greek with the accusative : 
thus Thucyd. 6. 2. irspi iraaav Trjv YiKeXiav, "in the whole of Sicily, round 
about." — The epithet mite, though in grammatical construction with 
solwn, refers in strictness to the mild atmosphere of Tibur. — And lastly, 
the particle et is here merely explanatory, the town of Tibur having been 
founded by Tiburnus, Coras, and Catillus or Catilus, sons of Catillus, 
and grandsons of Amphiaraus. Some commentators, with less propriety, 
render mite solum, "the mellow soil." — 3. Siccis omnia nam dura. "For 
the god of wine has imposed every hardship upon those who abstain from 
it." Proposuit conveys the idea of a legislator uttering his edicts. — 4. 
Mordaces solicitudines. "Gnawing cares." — Miter. "By any other 
means," i. e. by the aid of any other remedy than wine. 

5 — 8. 5. Post vina. " After indulging in wine." The plural (plu- 
ralis excellenlix) imparts additional force to the term. — Crepat. "Talks 



302 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE XVIII. 

of." The verb in this line conveys the idea of complaint, and is equi- 
valent to " rails at," or " decries." In the succeeding verse, however, 
where it is understood, it implies encomium. — 6. Quis non tepotius, &c. 
"Who is not rather loud in thy praises." Understand crepat. — Decens 
Venus. "Lovely Venus." — 7. Modici munera Liberi. " The gifts of 
moderate Bacchus," i. e. moderation in wine. The appellation Liber, 
as applied to Bacchus, is a translation of the Greek epithet Avalog, and 
indicates the deity who frees the soul from cares. — 8. Centaurea monet, 
&c. Alluding to the well-known conflict between the Centaurs and 
Lapithae, which arose at the nuptials of Pirithous, king of the Lapithae, 
and Hippodamia. 

8. Super mero. " Over their wine." — Merum denotes wine in its pure 
and most potent state, unmixed with water. " Amphyction is said to 
have issued a law, directing that pure wine should be merely tasted at the 
entertainments of the Athenians : but that the guests should be allowed 
to drink freely of wine mixed with water, after dedicating the first cup to 
Jupiter the Saviour, to remind them of the salubrious quality of the lat- 
ter fluid. However much this excellent rule may have been trans- 
gressed, it is certain that the prevailing practice of the Greeks was to 
drink their wines in a diluted state. Hence a common division of them 
into tro\v(jiopoi, or strong wines which would bear a large admixture of 
water, and d\iyi<popoi, or weak wines which admitted of only a slight ad- 
dition. To drink wine unmixed was held disreputable ; and those who 
were guilty of such excess were said to act like Scythians, (imtrKvdiaai.) 
To drink even equal parts of wine and water, was thought to be un- 
safe : and in general the dilution was more considerable ; varying, ac- 
cording to the taste of the drinkers, and the strength of the liquor, from 
one part of wine and four of water to two of wine, and four or else five 
parts of water, which last seems to have been the favourite mixture.'* 
Henderson's History ofJlncient and Modern Wines, p. 98. 

9 — 19. 9. Sithoniisnonlevis. "Unpropitious to the Thracians." Al- 
luding to the intemperate habits of the Thracians, and the stern in- 
fluence which the god of wine was consequently said to exercise over 
them. — The Sithonians are here taken for the Thracians generally. In 
strictness, however, they were the inhabitants of Sithoma, one of the 
three peninsulas of Chalcidice, subsequently incorporated into Macedo- 
nia. — Euius. A name of Bacchus, supposed to have originated from the 
cry of the Bacchanalians, Eu ol- Others derive the appellation from an 
exclamation of Jupiter (E? vie, "Well done, son!") in approval of the 
valour displayed by Bacchus during the contest of the giants. — 10. Cum 
fas atque nefas, &c." When, prompted by their intemperate desires, 
they distinguish right from wrong by a narrow limit." 

11. JVon ego te candide Bassareu, &c. " I will not disturb thee against 
thy will, O Bassareus, graced with the beauty of perpetual youth." 
The epithet candide is here very expressive, and refers to the unfading 
youth which the mythology of the Greeks and Romans assigned to the 
deity of wine. Compare Broukhus. ad Tibull. 3. 6. 1. and Dryden, (Ode 
for St. Cecilia's day.) " Bacchus, ever fair and ever young." — In order 
to understand more fully the train of ideas in this and the following 
part of the ode, we must bear in mind, that the poet now draws all his 
images from the rites of Bacchus. He who indulges moderately in the 
use of wine is made identical with the true and acceptable worshipper 
of the god, while he who is given to excess is compared to that follower 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XIX. 303 

of Bacchus, who undertakes to celebrate his orgies in an improper and 
unbecoming manner, and who reveals his sacred mysteries to the gaze 
of the profane. On such an one the anger of the god is sure to fall, and 
this anger displays itself in the infliction of disordered feelings, in arro- 
gant and blind love of self, and in deviations from the path of integrity 
and good faith. The poet professes his resolution of never incurring the 
resentment of the goa, ana prays therefore (v. 13.) that he may not be 
exposod to such a visitation. — Bassareu. The epithet Basareus is de- 
rived by Creuzer (Symbollk, vol. 3. p. 363.) from Pdacapos, "a fox," and 
he thinks that the garment called Qacoapls, worn in Asia Minor by the 
females who celebrated the rites of Bacchus, derived its name from its 
having superseded the skins of foxes, which the Bacchantes previously 
wore during the orgies. 

12 — 16. 12. Quatiam. The verb quatio has here the sense of moveo, 
and alludes to the custom of the ancients, in bringing forth from the tem- 
ples the statues and sacred things connected with the worship of the gods, 
on solemn festivals. These were carried round, and the ceremony began 
by the waving to and fro of the sacred vases and utensils. — Nee variis 
obsitafrondibuSfkc. "Nor will I hurry into open day the things concealed 
under various leaves." In the celebration of the festival of Bacchus, a se- 
lect number of virgins, of honourable families, called Kavv<p6poi y carried 
small baskets of gold, in -which were concealed beneath vine, ivy, and 
other, leaves, certain sacred and mysterious things, which were not to be 
exposed to the eyes of the profane. — 13. Sccva tene cum Berecyntio, &c. 
"Cease the shrill-clashing cymbals, with the Berecyntian hom." 
Berecyntus was a mountain in Phrygia, where Cybele was particularly 
worshipped. Cymbals and horns were used at the festivals of this god- 
dess, as at those of Bacchus. — 14. Quce subsequitur, &c. "In whose 
train follows." — 15. Gloria. "Foolish vanity." — Verticem vacuum. "The 
empty head." — 16. Jlrcani fides prodiga. "Indiscretion prodigal of 
secrets." 



Ode 19. The poet, after having bid farewell to love, confesses that the 
beauty of Glycera had again made him a willing captive. Venus Bacchus 
and Licentia are the authors of this change, and compel him to abandon 
all graver employments. A sacrifice to the first of these deities, in order 
to propitiate her influence, now engrosses the attention-jof the bard. Some 
commentators have supposed that the poet's object in composing this 
piece was, to excuse himself to Maecenas for not having celebrated in song, 
as the latter requested, the operations of Augustus against the Scythians 
and the Parthians. We should prefer, however, the simpler and more 
natural explanation of the ode as a mere sportive effusion. 

1 — 5. 1. Mater sceva Cupid inum. "The cruel mother of the Loves." 
The Loves, of whom Venus is here represented as the parent, were many 
in number, according to the poets. Compare the language of Statins, 
(Silv. 1. 2. 61. seqqJ) — 2. Thebance, Semeles puer, Bacchus, hence styled 
TcneXirytvtTris, — 3. Lasciva Licentia. "Frolic License." Compare Claudian, 
(Nupt. Hon. et. Mar. 78.) " Nullo constricta Licentia nodo." — 5. Nitor. 
" The brilliant beauty." 

6. Pario marmore purius. "The peculiar excellence of the Parian mar- 
ble," observes Dr. Clarke, "is extolled by Strabo. and it possesses some 
29 



304 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XIX. 

valuable qualities unknown even to the ancients who spoke so highly in 
its praise. These qualities are, that of hardening by exposure to atmos- 
pheric air, (which, however, is common to all homogeneous limestone,) 
and the consequent property of resisting decomposition through a series of 
ages, — and this, rather than the supposed preference given to the Parian 
marble by the ancients, may be considered as the cause of its prevalence 
among the remains of Grecian sculpture. That the Parian marble was 
highly and deservedly extolled by the Romans, has been already shown ; 
but, in a very early period, when the arts had attained their full splendour 
in the age of Pericles, the preference was given by the Greeks, not to the 
marble of Paros, but to that of mount Pentelicus : because it was whiter, 
and also, perhaps, because it was found in the immediate vincinity of 
Athens. While, however, the wo:ks executed in Parian marble retain, 
with all the delicate softness of wax, the mild lustre even of their original 
polish, those which were finished in Pentelican marble have been decom- 
posed, and sometimes exhibit a suvface as earthy and as rude as common 
limestone. This is principally owing to veins of extraneous substances 
which intersect the Pentelican quarries, and which appear more or less in 
all the works executed in this kind of marble." ( Clarke's Travels, vol. 
6. p. 134. Eng. Ed.) 

8 — 12. 8. Et vultus nimium hibricus aspici. "And her countenance 
too voluptuous in expression to oe sazed upon with safety." The vultus 
hibricus of the Latin poet is analogous to the BXt/^a vypbv of Anac- 
reon. — 9. Tota. "In all her strength." — 10. Cijpnmi. The island of 
Cyprus was the favourite residence of Venus. — Scythas. An allusion to 
the conquests of Augustus. Horace professes his inability to handle 
such lofty themes, in consequence of the all-controlling power of love. — 
11. Versis animosum, &c. "The Parthian, fiercely contending on retreating 
steeds." Compare the language of Plutarch in describing the peculiar 
mode of fight practised by this nation. ( Vit. Crass, c. 24. — ed. Hutten.vol. 3. 
p. 442.) 'Yneipevyov yap apa ftdWovrec; ol HdpOoi, Kai tovto Kpariura trotovoi \itra 
XKvda;' Kal crofdrardv kttih, apvopivovs £tti tw cw^icdai, Trjs (pvyrjs d(paipc7v rd 

aioxptv. " For the Parthians shot as they fled ; and this they do with a 
degree of dexterity, inferior only to that of the Scythians. It is indeed 
an excellent invention, since they fight while they save themselves, and 
thus escape the disgrace of flight." — 12. Nee quoz nihil attinerit. Under- 
stand ad se. " Nor of aught that bears not relation to her sway." 

13 — 14. 13. Vivum cespitem. "The verdant turf." An altar of turf is 
now to be erected to the goddess. This material, one of the earliest that 
was applied to such a purpose, was generally used on occasions where 
little previous preparation could be made. — 14. Verbenas. Vervain. The 
Verbena of the Romans corresponds to the 'lepofiordv);, or UzpiuTcpc&v of 
the Greeks, and to the Verbena officinalis of Linnaeus (Gen. 43.) The" 
origin of the superstitious belief attached to this plant, especially 
among the Gauls, can hardly be ascertained with any degree of certainty. 
One of the Greek names given to it above ('\cpo6oTdvtj, "sacred plant,") 
shows the high estimation in which it was held by that people. The 
Latin appellation is supposed to come from the Celtic Ferfain, from which 
last is also derived the English word " vervain." 

15 — 16. 15. Bimi meri. " Of wine two years old." New wine was always 
preferred for libations to thegods. So also, the Romans were accustomed to 
usetheir own, not the Greek, wines for such a purpose,the former being more 
free from any admixture of water. Hecce the remark of Pliny (H. JV*. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XX. 305 

14. 19.) " Grceca vina libare nefas, quo-niam aquam habeant.'"- — 16. Mac- 
tata hostict. Tacitus informs us (Hist. 2.) that it was unlawful for any 
blood to be shed on the altar of the Paphian Venus, " Sanguinem arce of- 
fundere vetitum," and hence Catullus (66. 91.) may be explained: " Pla- 
cabis festis luminibus Venerem sanguinis expertem." It would appear, 
iowever, from other authorities, especially Martial, (9. 91.) that animal 
sacrifices in honour of this goddess, and for the purpose of inspecting the 
entrails in order to ascertain her will, were not unfrequent. The very 
historian, indeed, from whom we have just given a passage, clearly proves 
this to have been the case. (Tacit. I. c.) " Hostict, ul quisque vovit, sed 
mares deliguntur. Certiisima fides ha-dorum fibris." The apparent con- 
tradiction into which Tacitus falls may easily be explained away, if we 
refer the expression "sanguinem arm offtmdere vetitum' 1 '' not to the total ab- 
sence of victims, but merely to the altar of the goddess being kept un- 
touched by their blood. The sacrifices usually offered to Venus, would 
seem to have been white goats and swine, with libations of wine, milk, 
and honey. The language of Virgil, in describing her altars, is in accord- 
ance somewhat with that of Catullus: " Thure calent arm, sertisque recen- 
tibus halant:' (J£n. 1. 417.) 



Ode 20. Addressed to Maecenas, who had signified to the poet his in- 
tention of spending a few days with him at his Sabine farm. Horace 
warns him that he is not to expect the generous wine which he has been 
accustomed to quaff at home : and yet, while depreciating the quality of 
that which his own humble roof affords, he mentions a circumstance re- 
specting its age, which could not but prove peculiarly gratifying to his pa- 
tron and intended guest. 

1 — 3. 1. VUe Sabinum. "Common Sabine wine." The Sabine ap- 
pears to have been a thin table-wine, of a reddish colour, attaining its ma- 
turity in seven years. Pliny (H. N. 14. 2.) applies to it the epithets cru- 
dum and austerum. — 2. Cantharis. The canthanis was a bowl or vase for 
holding wine, from which the liquor was transferred to the drinking cups. 
It. derived its name, according to most authorities, from its being made to 
resemble a beetle (KdvOapos.) Some, however, deduce the appellation 
from a certain Cantharus, who was the inventor of the article. The Can- 
tharus was peculiarly sacred to Bacchus. — Testa. The testa, or "jar," 
derived its name from having been subjected, when first made, to the ac- 
tion of fire (testa, quasi tosta, a torreo.) The vessels for holding wine, in 
general use among the Greeks and Romans, were of earthen ware. — 
3. Levi. "I closed up." When the wine vessels were filled, and the disturb- 
ance of the liquor had subsided, the covers or stoppers were secured with 
plaster or a coating of pitch, mixed with the ashes of the vine, so as to 
exclude all communication with the external air. — Datus in theatro, &c. 
Alluding to the acclamations with which the assembled audience greeted 
Majcenas on his entrance into the theatre, after having, according to most 
commentators, recovered from a dangerous malady. Some, however, 
suppose it to have been on occasion of the celebrating of certain games 
by Maecenas ; and others, among whom is Faber, refer it to the time 
when the conspiracy of Lepidus, was detected and crushed by the mi- 
nister. (Compare Fell. Patere. 2. 88. 3.) 

5 — 9. 5. Care Mcecenas eques. "Beloved Ma?cenas, ornament of 
the equestrian ranks." Eques is here equivalent to equitum decii& 



Mb EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE XXI. 

Bentley reads Clare for Care ; but the latter breathes more of true 
friendship. — Paterni fluminis. The Tiber. The ancestors of Maecenas 
were natives of Etruria, where the Tiber rises, and through which it in 
part flows. — 7. Vaticanimontis. The Vatican mount formed the prolon- 
gation of the Janiculum towards the north, and was supposed to have de- 
rived its name from the Latin word vates, or vaticiniwm, as it was once the 
seat of Etruscan divination. — 8. Imago. "The echo." Understand 
vocis. — 9. Ccecubam. The Ctecuban wine derived its name from the 
cacubus ager, in the vicinity of Amyclae, and is described by G alen as a 
generous, durable wine, but apt to affect the head, and ripening only 
after a long term of years. (Mhenceus 1. 27.) Pliny informs us, that 
theCaecuban subsequently lost its repute, partly from the negligence of 
the growers, and partly from the limited extent of the vineyard, which 
was nearly destroyed by the navigable canal begun by Nero from 
Avernus to Ostia. (H. JV*. 14. 6.) — Caleno. The town of Cales, now 
Calvi, lay to the south of Teanum in Campania. The ager Calenus was 
much celebrated for its vineyards. It was contiguous in fact to that fa- 
mous district so well known in antiquity, under the name of ager Faler- 
nw, as producing the best wine in Italy, or indeed in the world. It 
would seem, from the testimony of ancient writers, that the Falernian 
vineyards extended from the Massic hills, near Sinuessa, to a conside- 
rable distance inland. The best growth appears to have been the Mas- 
sic. All writers agree in describing the Falernian wine as very strong 
and durable, and so rough in its recent state, that it could not be drunk 
with pleasure, but required to be kept a great number of years before it 
was sufficiently mellow. 

10—12. 10. Uvam. " The juice of the grape."— 11. Formiani. The 
Formian hills are often extolled for the superior wine which they produced. 
Formias, now Mola di Gaeta, was a city of great antiquity in Latium, 
near Caieta. — 12. Pocula. These were the drinking cups, into which 
the wine was poured, after having been diluted with water in the crater, 
or mixer. Hence the expression temperant. The clause may be para- 
phrased as follows : " Neither the produce of the Falernian vines, nor 
that of the Formian hills, mingles in my cups with the tempering water." 



Ode 21. A Hymn in praise of Apollo and Diana, which has given 
rise to much diversity of opinion among the learned. Many regard it 
as a piece intended to be sung in alternate stanzas by a chorus of 
youths and maidens on some solemn festival. Acron refers it to the 
Specular Games, and Sanadon, who is one of those that advocate this 
opinion, actually removes the ode from its present place and makes it a 
component part of the Saccular hymn. Others again are in favour of 
the Ludi Jlpollinares. All this, however, is perfectly arbitrary. No 
satisfactory arguments can be adduced for making the present ode an 
amosbaean composition, nor can it be fairly proved that it was ever cus- 
tomary for such hymns to be sung in alternate chorus. Besides there 
are some things in the ode directly at variance with such an opinion. 
Let us adopt for a moment the distribution of parts which these com- 
mentators recommend, and examine the result. The first line is to be 
sung by the chorus of youths, the second by the chor«s of maidens, 
while both united sing the third and fourth. In the succepding stanzas, 
the lines from the fifth to the eighth inclusive are assigned to the youths, 
and, from the ninth to the twelfth inclusive, to the maidens, while the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXI. 307 

remaining lines are again sung by the double chorus. In order to effect 
this arrangement we must change with these critics the initial Hie in 
the thirteenth line to Haze, in allusion to Diana, making the reference 
to Apollo begin at hie m'seram. Now, the impropriety of making the 
youths sing the praises of Diana, (verses 5 — 8,) and the maidens those 
of Apollo, (v. 9 — 12,) must be apparent to every unprejudiced observer, 
and forms, we conceive, a fatal error. Nor is it by any means a feeble 
objection, whatever grammatical subtleties may be called in to explain 
it away, that motus occurs in the sixteenth line. If the concluding 
stanza is to commence with the praises of Diana as sung by the youths, 
then evidently motus should be mota, which would violate the measure. 
The conclusion therefore to which we are drawn is simply this : The 
present ode is merely a private effusion, and not intended for any public 
solemnity. The poet only assumes in imagination the office of cho- 
ragus, and seeks to instruct the chorus in the proper discharge of their 
general duties. 

1 — 8. 1. Dianam. Apollo and Diana, as typifying the sun and 
moon, were ranked in the popular belief among the averters of evil, 
(Dii averrunci, Scot o-wr/jpfj, akc^lxaKot, &c.) and were invoked to ward off 
famine, pestilence, and all national calamity. — 2. Intonsum Cyn- 
thium. "Apollo ever young." It. was customary among the ancients for 
the first growth of the beard to be consecrated to some god. At the 
same time the hair of the head was also cut off, and offered up, usu- 
ally to Apollo. Until then they wore it uncut. Hence the epithet 
intonsus, (literally " with unshorn locks") when applied to a deity, car- 
ries with it the idea of unfading youth. — The appellation of Cynthius 
is given to Apollo from mount Cynthus in the island of Delos.— 4. Di- 
lectmn penitus. "Deeply beloved." — 6. Mgido. Algidus was a moun- 
tain in Latium consecrated to Diana and Fortune. It appears to have 
been, strictly speaking, that chain which stretched from the rear of the 
Alban mount, and ran parallel to the Tusculan hills, being separated 
from them by the valley along which ran the Via Latina. — 7. Eryman- 
thi. Erymanthus was a chain of mountains in Arcadia, on the borders 
of Elis, and forming one of the highest ridges in Greece. It was 
celebrated in fable as the haunt of the savage boar destroyed by Her- 
cules. — 8. Cragi. Cragus was a celebrated ridge of Lycia, in Asia 
Minor, extending along the Glaucus Sinus. The fabulous monster 
Chimera, said to have been subdued by Bellerophon, frequented this 
range, according to the poets. 

9 — 15. 9. Tempe. Compare the note on Ode 1. 7. 4. — 10. Natalem 
Delon. Del-os, one of the Cyclades, and the fabled birth place of 
Apollo and Diana. — 12. Fratema Lyra. The invention of the lyre by 
Mercury has already been mentioned. (Note on Ode 1. 10. 6.) This 
instrument he bestowed on Apollo after the theft of the oxen was dis- 
covered. — 15. Persas atque Britannos. Marking the farthest limits of 
the empire on the east and west. By the Persa are meant the Par- 
tisans. 



Ode. 22. It was a very prominent feature in the popular belief of an- 
tiquity, that poets formed a class of men peculiarly under the protection 
of the gods ; since, wholly engrossed by subjects of a light and pleasing 
nature, no deeds of violence, and no acts of fraud or perjury could ever 



308 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE XXII. 

be laid to their charge. Horace, having escaped imminent danger, 
writes the present ode in allusion to this belief. The innocent man, ex- 
claims the bard, is shielded from peril, wherever he may be, by his own 
purity of life and conduct. (The innocent man is here only another 
name for poet.) The nature of the danger from which he had been res- 
cued is next described, and the ode concludes with the declaration, that 
his own integrity will ward off every evil, in whatever quarter of the 
world his lot maybe cast, and will render him at the same time tranquil 
in mind and ever disposed to celebrate the praises of his Lalage. 

The ode is addressed to Aristius Fuscus, to whom the tenth Epistle 
of the First Book is inscribed. 

1 — 4. 1. Integer vitm, &c. " The man of upright life, and free from 
guilt." — 2. Mauris ja-culis. For Mauritanicis jaculis. The natives of 
Mauritania were distinguished for their skill in darting the javelin, the 
frequent use of this weapon being required against the wild beasts which 
infested their country. — 4. Syrtes mstuosas. " The burning sands of 
Africa." The allusion here is not to the two remarkable quicksands or 
gulfs on the coast of Africa, commonly known by the name of the Great- 
er and Smaller Syrtes, (now the gulfs of Sidra and Cabes,) but to the in- 
land region. There is nothing hostile to this acceptation of the term 
Syrtis in the etymology commonly assigned to it. For if it be deduced, 
as most maintain, from the Greek aipta, "traho," the name will be equal- 
ly applicable to the sands of the gulf agitated by the waves, and to those 
of the more inland parts driven to and fro by the violence of the winds. 
It remains to be seen, however, whether the word in question be not of 
indigenous origin, since the name Sert is applied at the present day by 
the natives not only to the sandy region along the coast, but also to the 
desert immediately south of it, and, according to modern travellers, the 
term likewise exists in Arabic in the sense of a desert tract of country. 
(Compare Ritter's Erdkunde, vol. l.p. 929. 2d. ed.) 

7 — -12. 7. Vel quae loca, &c. " Or through those regions, which the 
Hydaspes, source of many a fable, laves." The epithet fubulosus refers 
to the strange accounts which were circulated respecting this river, its 
golden sands, the monsters inhabiting its waters, &c. The Hydaspes, 
now the Fylum, is one of the five eastern tributaries of the Indus, which, 
by their union form the Punjnub, while the region which they traverse 
is denominated the Punjab, or country of the five rivers. — 9. Namque. 
Equivalent to the Greek koi yap. Supply the ellipsis as follows : "Jlnd 
this I have plainly learnt from my own case, for," &c. — Silva in Sabina. 
He refers to a wood in the vicinity of his Sabine farm. — 10. Ultra termi- 
num. "Beyond my usual limits." 11. Curis expeditis. "With all my 
cares dispelled." — 12. Inermem. " Though unarmed." 

12 — 17. 12. Militaris Daunias. "Warlike Daunia." Daunias is 
here the Greek form of the nominative. The Daunii, a people probably 
of Illyrian origin, were situate along the northern coast of Apulia. — 14. 
Juboztellus. Mauritania. — 17. Pone me pigris, &c. For the connection 
between this and the previous portion of the ode, consult the introductory 
remarks. The poet alludes in this stanza to what is termed at the pre- 
sent day the frozen zone, and he describes it in accordance with the 
general belief of his age. The epithet pigris may be rendered by "bar- 
ren," and refers to the plains of the north lying sterile and uncultivated 
by reason of the excessive cold. Modern observations, however, assign 
two seasons to this distant quarter of the globe ; a long and rigorous 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXIIt. XXIV. 309 

winter, succeeded often suddenly by insupportable heats. The power 
of the solar beams, though feeble, from the obliquity of their direction, 
accumulates during the days, which are extremely long, and produces 
effects which mighfbe expected only in the torrid zone. The days for 
several months, though of a monotonous magnificence, astonishingly 
accelerate the growth of vegetation. In three days, or rather three times 
twenty-four hours, the snow is melted, and the flowers begin to blow. 
(Malte-Brun, Geog. p. 418. vol. 1.) 

19 — 22. 19. Quod lalus mundi, &c. "In that quarter of the world, 
which clouds and an inclement sky continually oppress." — 21. Nimium 
propmqui. " Too near the earth." Understand terns. — 22. Domibus 
negata. " Denied to mortals for an abode." Most of the ancients 
conceived that the heat continued to increase from the tropic to- 
wards the equator. Hence they concluded that the middle of the 
zone was uninhabitable. It is now, however, ascertained that many 
circumstances combine to establish even there a temperature that is 
supportable. The clouds ; the great rains ; the nights naturally very 
cool, their duration being equal to that of the days ; a strong evapora- 
tion ; the vast expanse of the sea ; the proximity of very high moun- 
tains, covered with perpetual snow ; the trade-winds, and the periodical 
inundations, equally contribute to diminish the heat. This is the reason 
why, in the torrid zone, we meet with all kinds of climates. The plains 
are burnt up by the heat of the sun. All the eastern coasts of the great 
continents, fanned by the trade- winds, enjoy a mild temperature. The 
elevated districts are even cold; the valley of GLuito is always green ; 
and perhaps the interior of Africa contains more than one region which 
nature has gifted with the same privilege. (Malte-Brun, Geog. p. 416. 
vol. 1.) 



Ode 23. The poet advises Chloe, now of nubile years, no longer to 
follow her parent like a timid fawn, alarmed at every whispering breeze 
and rustling of the wood, but to make a proper return to the affection 
of one whom she had no occasion to view with feelings of alarm. 

1 — 10. 1. Hinnuleo. The term hinnuleus is here used for hinnulus, as, 
in Ode 1. 17. 9, hxdulea occurs for hozdxdi. — 2. Pavidam. Denoting the 
alarm of the parent for the absence of her offspring. — Aviis, " Lonely." 
— 5. Vepris. The common reading is veris. Great difficulties attend 
this lection : In the first place, the foliage of the trees is not sufficiently 
put forth in the commencement of spring, to justify the idea of its being 
disturbed by the winds ; and secondly, the young fawns do not follow 
the parent animal until the end of this season, or the beginning of June. 
— 6. Jld ventum. The common text has adventus. — Inhonruit. " Has 
rustled." — 10. Gatulusve leo. That part of Africa which the ancients 
denominated Gaetulia, appears to answer in some measure to the mo- 
dern Belad-el-Djerid — Frangere. This verb has here the meaning of 
" to rend," or " tear in pieces," as ayvdvat is sometimes employed in 
Greek. 



Ode 24. The poet seeks to comfort Virgil for the loss of their mu- 
tual friend. The individual to whom the ode alludes was a native of 



310 EXPLANATORY NOTES — BOOK I. ODE XXV. 

Cremona, and appears to have been the same with the Gluinctilius of 
whom Horace speaks in the Epistle to the Pisos, (v. 438.) 

1 — 7. 1. Desiderio tam cari capitis. " To our regret for the loss of so 
dear an individual." The use of caput in this cfause is analogous to 
that of xcipaM and ndpa in Greek. — 2. Pracipe lugubres cantus. " Teact 
me the strains of wo." Literally, " precede me in the strains of wo? 
— 3. Melpomene. One of the Muses, so called from the dignity and ex- 
cellence of her strains, (MeA™^);, from )xi\-K0jiai, canto.) She presided 
over Lyric* and Epic poetry. — Liquidam vocem. " A clear and tuneful 
voice. — Pater. The muses, in the common mythology, were said to 
have been the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. — 5. Ergo Quinc- 
tilium. The muse here commences the funeral dirge. — 7. Nudaque 
Veritas. " And undisguised Truth." 

11 — 16. 11. Tu frustra plus, &c. "Thou, alas! displaying a fruitless 
affection, dost pray the gods for the restoration of duinctiiius, not on such 
terms entrusted to thy care." The train of ideas is as follows: Thy af- 
fectionate sorrows lead 1 hee to pray for the restoration of our common 
friend ; but the effort is a vain one ; he was not given to thee as a lasting 
possession. — 13. Blandius. " With more persuasive melody. — 16. Virga 
horrida. "With his gloomy wand." Alluding to the caduceus. The 
epithet horrida regards its dreaded influence over the movements of de- 
parted shades, as they pass onward to the fatal river. — 17. Non lenis, &c. 
"Not gentle enough to change the order of the fates in compliance with 
our prayers." i. e. sternly refusing to change, &c. Lenis recludere, a 
Groecism for lenis ad rccludendum. 



Ode 25. Addressed to Lydia, now an object of neglect, and declining 
rapidly in the vale of years. The picture here drawn of a vicious female, 
towards the close of her career, is a disgusting but most instructive one. 

1. Junctas quativnt fenestras. An idea borrowed from a besieged city. 
The custom here alluded to was one of common occurrence among the 
youth of Italy and Greece. The ancient Romans had only openings in 
the walls to admit the light (Jeyiestroe, " windows," from <(>aivu " ostendo.") 
They were covered with two folding leaves or shutters of wood, and 
sometimes a curtain. Occasionally a net or frame work was placed over 
the aperture. Compare on this head Varro, R. R. 3. 7. " Fenestris 
Punicanis, aid latioribus, reticularis utrinque, ut locus omnis sit illustris, 
neve quos serpens, aliudve quid animal maleficum introire queaV 

2 — 10. 2. Jlraatquejanualimen. A beautiful expression. Compare 
Virgil (JF.n. 5. 163.) " Litus arm," and Statius (Silv. 2. 3 56.) " Umbris 
sinuatur amantibus undas." — 5. Multumfacilis. "Most easily." — 7. Me 
tuo longas, &c. Intended for the words of a serenade. — 10. Levis. 
" Thinly clad." When poverty shall have succeeded, as it inevitably must, 
to a career of vicious indulgence, the light vestments of summer will be 
thy only protection against the wintry blasts. 

11 — 20. 11. Thracio vento. By the "Thracian wind" is meant Boreas 
or the North wind, whose native land, according to the Greek poets, was 
the country of Thrace. — Sub interlunia. "At the time which intervenes 
between the old and new moon." Or in freer and more poetic language, 
» during the dark and stormy season when tire moon has disappeared 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXYI. 311 

from the skies." — 14. Quce solet matres, &c. An allusion to the same idea 
that is expressed by the Greek liritopavuv. Consult Heyne, ad Virg. Georg. 
3.280. — 15. Jecur ulcerosum. The liver was supposed by the ancients 
to be the primary receptacle of the blood, whence it was diffused over the 
whole system : lience it became also the seat of the passions. — 17. Hedera 
virenti. The "verdant ivy" and the "dark myrtle" are here selected as fit 
emblems of youth. The leaves of the latter, in general of a dark hue, are 
more particularly so when young. — 20. Dedicet Euro. The common text 
has Hebro. The objection, however, to this reading is the utter impossi- 
bility of associating the idea of a Thracian river with an act performed by 
Roman youth. The propriety of styling the wind Emus, " the companion 
of winter," may on the other hand easily be defended by the expression 
ofVirgil (Genrg. 2. 339.) " Hibemus Euri flatus." To " devote to Eurus," 
moreover, coincides precisely with our own form of expression, "to 
scatter to the winds." 



Ode 26. In praise of ^Elius Lamia, a Roman of ancient and illus- 
trious family, and distinguished for his exploits in the war with the Can- 
tabri. The bard, wholly occupied with the Muses and his friend, con- 
signs every other thought to the winds. 

2 — 3. 2. Mare Creticum. The Cretan, which lay to the north of the 
island, is here put for any, sea. — 3. Portare. " To waft them." — Quis 
sub Arcto, &c. " By what people the monarch of a frozen region beneath 
the northern sky is feared," &c. The present ode appears to have been 
written at the time when Phrahates, king of Parthia, had been dethroned 
by his subjects for his excessive cruelty, and Teridates, who headed a 
party against him, appointed in his stead. Phrahates fled for succour to 
the Scythians, and a monarch of that nation was now on his march to 
restore him. The king of the frozen region is therefore the Scythian 
invader, and the people who fear his approach are the Parthian s with 
Teridates at their head. DioCassius informs us that Phrahates was rein- 
stated in his kingdom, and that Teridates fled into Syria. Here he was 
allowed to remain by Augustus, who obtained from him the son of Phra- 
hates, and led the young prince as a hostage to Rome. This son was sub- 
sequently restored to the father, and the standards taken by the Parthi- 
ans from Crassus and Antony were delivered in exchange. (Compare 
Dw Cassius, 51. 18 — vol. 1. p. 649. ed. Reim. Justin. 42. 5.) Strabo, 
however, states that the son of Phrahates was received as a hostage from 
the father himself, and along with him sons and grandsons, (ralSasKnl 
■Kai&uv ratbag. Strab. 6. extr.) Compare with this the language of 
Suetonius (vit. Aug. 43.) who speaks of the hostages of the Parthians, 
(" Parthorum obsides.") 

6 — 11. 6. Fontibus integris. " The pure fountains." By the font es 
integri lyric poetry is designated, and the poet alludes to the circumstance 
of his having been the first of his countrymen that had refreshed the lite- 
rature of Rome with the streams of lyric verse. Hence the invocation 
of the muse. — 7. Jlpricos necte flores. "Entwine the sunny flowers." 
The sunny flowers and the chaplet which they form are figurative ex- 
pressions, and mean simply a lyric effusion. The muse is solicited to 
aid the bard in celebrating the praises of his friend. — Pimplei. The 
muses were called Pimpleides from Pimplea, a fountain, hill, and city of 
Thrace, subsequently included within the limits of Macedonia Oroheus 



312 EXPLANATORY N0TES. — BOOK I. ODE XXVII. 

was said to have been born here. — 9. Nil sine te met, &c. " Without thy 
favouring aid, the honours which I have received can prove of no avail in 
celebrating the praises of others." By the term honor es the poet alludes 
to his successful cultivation of lyric verse. — 10. Fidibus novis. " In new- 
strains," i. e. in lyric verse. Hence the bard speaks of himself as the 
first that had adapted the iEolian strains to Italian measures, (Ode, 3. 
30. 13.) — 11. Lesbio plectro. "On the Lesbian lyre." The plectrum, 
or quill, is here taken figuratively for the lyre itself. Compare Ode, 1. 
1. 34. — Sacrare. " To consecrate to immortal fame." 



Ode 27. The poet is supposed to be present at a festal party, where 
the guests, warming under the influence of wine, begin to break forth 
into noisy wrangling. He reproves them in severe terms for conduct so 
foreign to a meeting of friends, and, in order to draw off their attention 
to other and more pleasing subjects, he proposes the challenge in verse 
10th, on which the rest of the ode is made to turn. 

1 — 6. 1. Natis in usum, &c. " Over cups made for joyous purposes." 
The scyphus was a cup of rather large dimensions, used both on festal 
occasions, and in the celebration of sacred rites. Like the cantharus, it 
was sacred to Bacchus. — 2. Thracum est. Compare note on Ode 1. 18. 
9. — 3. Verecundum. Equivalent to modicum, " Free to excess." — 5. Vi- 
no etlucernis, &c. "It is wonderful how much the dagger of the Parthian 
is at variance with nocturnal banquets," literally " with wine and lights." 
Vino and lucernis are datives, put by a Grsecism for the ablative with the 
preposition a. — Medus. Compare Ode, 1. 2. 51. — Acinaces. The term 
is of Persian origin. The acinaes was properly a small dagger, in use 
among the Persians, and borrowed from them by the soldiers of later 
ages. It was worn at the side. Hesychius, in explaining the word, 
calls it idpv Yltpoiicbv, l;i<pos. Suidas remarks : aKLvdKrjs, puKpbv Sdpv Tlepcri- 
kov, and Pollux (1,138.) TLspaiKov ^tpiiidv n, tZ firipZ Tzpoariprrinevov. This 
last comes nearest the true explanation as given above. Compare 
Schneider, s. v. aKiv&Kvi. " ein eigenthumlich Persiches Wort : einkleiner 
seitendegen bey den Persern." — 6. Immane quantum. Analogous to the 
Greek ^avjiaarbv tiaov. — Impium clamorem. The epithet impius has here 
a particular reference to the violation of the ties and dutiesof friendship, 
as well as to the profanation of the table, which was always regarded as 
sacred by the ancients. 

8 — 9. 8. Cubito remanete prcsso. "Remain with the elbow pressed on 
the couch." i. e. Stir not from your places. Alluding to the ancient cus- 
tom of reclining at their meals. — 9. Severi Falerni. All writers agree in 
describing the Falernian wine as very strong and durable, and so rough in 
its recent state, that it could not be drunk with pleasure, but required to 
be kept a great number of years, before it was sufficiently mellow. 
Horace even terms it a "fiery" wine, and calls for water from the spring 
to moderate its strength ; and Persius applies to it the epithet "indomitum" 
probably in allusion to its heady quality. From Galen's account it ap- 
pears to have been in best condition from the tenth to the twentieth year: 
afterwards it was apt to contract an unpleasant bitterness : yet we may 
suppose, that when of a good vintage, and especially when preserved in 
glass bottles, it would keep much longer without having its flavour impaired. 
Horace, who was a lover of old wine, proposes, in a well known ode, (3. 
21.) to broach an amphora which was coeval with himself, and which, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES — BOOK I. ODE XXVII. 313 

therefore, was probably not less than thirty-three years old ; as Torquatus 
Manlius was consul in the six hundred and eighty-ninth year from the 
foundation of the city, and Corvinus, in honour of whom the wine was to 
be drawn, did not. obtain the consulate till 723 A. U. C. As he bestows 
the highest commendation on this sample, ascribing to it all the virtues of 
the choicest vintages, and pronouncing it truly worthy to be produced on 
a day of festivity, we must believe it to have been really of excellent quali- 
ty. In general, however, it probably suffered, more or less, from the mode 
in which it was kept ; and those whose taste was not perverted by the 
rage for high-dried wines, preferred it in its middle state. 

Among our present wines, we have no hesitation in fixing upon those of 
Xeres and Madeira as the two to which the Falernian offers the most 
distinct features of resemblance. Both are straw-coloured wines, assum- 
ing a deeper tint from age, or from particular circumstances in the quality, 
or management of the vintage. Both of them present the several varieties 
of dry, sweet, and light. Both of them are exceedingly strong and durable 
wines ; being, when new, very rough, harsh, and fiery, and requiring to be 
kept about the same length of time as the Falernian, before they attain a due 
degree of mellowness. Of the two, however, the more palpable dryness 
and bitter-sweet flavour of the Sherry might incline us to decide, that it 
approached most, nearly to the wine under consideration : and it is worthy 
of remark, that the same difference in the produce of the fermentation is 
observable in the Xeres vintages, as that which Galen has noticed with 
respect to the Falernian: it being impossible always to predict, with cer- 
tainty, whether the result will be a dry wine, or a sweetish wine, resem- 
bling Paxarete. 

10 — 14. 10. Opuntice. So called from Opus, the capital of the Opun- 
tian Locri in Greece, at the northern extremity of Bceotia. — 1 1. Quo 
beatus, &c. The expressions beatus vulnere and per eat, afford very pleas- 
ing specimens of what grammarians term the oxymoron. — 13. Cessat 
voluntas. "Dost thou refuse." Literally, "does (thy) inclination hesi- 
tate." — Non alia bibam mercede. " On no other condition will I drink." — 
14. Q,ux te cunque, &c. An encomium well calculated to remove the 
bashful reserve of the youth. "Whoever the fair object may be that 
sways thy bosom, she causes it to burn with a flame at which thou hast 
no occasion to blush, for thou always indulgest in an honourable love." 
The expression amore pecare is nothing more~than the simple amare. 

18 — 23. 18. Ah miser! The exclamation of the poet when the secret 
is divulged. — 19. Quanta laborabas, &c. The passion of the youth is com- 
pared to the dangers of the fabled Charybdis, and hence the expression 
Quanta laborabas Ckarybdi is equivalent in effect to Quam periculosarn tibi 
puellam amabas. — 21. Thessalis venenis. Thessaly was remarkable for 
producing numerous herbs that were used in the magical rites of antiquity. 
— 23. Vix illigatum, &c. "Even Pegasus' self will with difficulty extri- 
cate thee from the entangling snares of this three-shaped Chimasra." 
Literally, " Pegasus will hardly extricate thee, entangled by this three- 
shaped Chimoera." In construction, triformi Chimcera, depending on 
illigatum, is the dative put by a Groecism for the ablative. A new com- 
parison is here made, by which the female in question is made to resemble 
the well-known Chimsera, or, to use the words of Doring, " Meretrix ilia, 
rapacitate sua juvenum bonis infestissima, comparatur cum triformi illo 
monstro Ckimcera." 



314 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXVIII. 

Ode 28. The object of the present ode is to enforce the useful lesson, 
that we are all subject to the power of death, whatever may be our sta- 
tion in life, and whatever our talents and acquirements. The dialogue 
form is adopted for this purpose, and the parties introduced are a mari- 
ner and the shade of Archytas. The former, as he is travelling along 
the shore of southern Italy, discovers the dead body of the philosopher 
which had been thrown up by the waves near the town of Matinum on 
the Tarentine gulf. He addresses the corpse, and expresses his surprise 
that so illustrious an individual could not escape from the dominion of 
the grave. At the seventh verse the shade replies, and continues on 
until the end of the ode. Be not surprised, O mariner, at beholding me 
in this state, exclaims the fallen Pythagorean. Death has selected far 
nobler victims. Bestow the last sad offices on my remains, and so shall 
prosperous fortune crown your every effort. If, on the contrary, you 
make light of my request, expect not to escape a just retribution. 

The ode would appear from its general complexion to have been imi- 
tated from the Greek. 

1. Te maris et terra, Sac. The order of construction is as follows : 
Parva munera exigui pulveris (negata tibi) cohibent te, Sac. " The scanty 
present of a little dust, denied to thy remains, confines thee," &c. The 
ellipsis of negata tibi must be noted, though required more by the idiom 
of our own, than by that of the Latin tongue. According to the popular 
belief, if a corpse were deprived of the rites of sepulture, the shade of 
the deceased was compelled to wander for a hundred years either around 
the dead body or along the banks of the Styx. Hence the peculiar pro- 
priety of cohibent in the present passage. In order to obviate so lament- 
able a result, it was esteemed a most solemn duty for every one who 
chanced to encounter an unburied corpse to perform the last sad offices 
to it. Sprinkling dust or sand three times upon the dead body was 
esteemed amply sufficient for every purpose. Hence the language of 
the text, "pidveris exigui parva munera.'''' Whoever neglected this in- 
junction of religion was compelled to expiate his crime by sacrificing a 
sow to Ceres. Compare Festus (in Prcecidanea agna,) Cicero, de Legibus, 
2. 22. Marius Viclorinus, 1. p. 247. e d Putsch. 

The interpretation, which we have here given, has found, however, 
very strenuous opponents. Mitscherlich, Jani and Doiing maintain that 
pulveris exigui parva munera is a mere circumlocution for locus exiguus, 
and that cohibent is only the compound used for the simple verb. 
Hence, according to these commentators, the meaning will be, " A 
small spot of earth now holds thee," &c. and they contend, that in this 
way the opposition is best preserved between the different parts of the 
sentence. We cannot agree in the propriety of such an interpretation. 
The periphrasis of munera pulveris, with the two accompanying epithets, 
is extremely harsh, nor is the sense at all improved by this mode of ren- 
dering, as far at least as we are able to decide. As for the examples of 
a similar periphrasis which Jani undertakes to cite, it must be evident 
upon the slightest inspection that they are not entitled to the name. In 
Lucretius (1. 32.) " munera belli," is equivalent to " bellicos labores," and 
in Horace himself (Ode, 2. 1. 38.) by munera ncsnice are meant, in fact 
"leges et modus nccnicB." — Maris et terrce mensorem. Alluding to the geo- 
metrical knowledge of Archytas. — Numeroque carentis arena. The 
possibility of calculating the number of the grains of sand was a favour- 
ite topic with the ancient mathematicians. Archimedes has left us a 
work on this subject entitled i^w'™!?} (Arenarius,) which is interesting 
as showing the state of the science at that period. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXVIII. 315 

2 — 7. 2. tSrchyta. Archytas, one ofthePythagoric preceptors of Plato, 
was a native of Tarentum. He is said to have been the eighth in suc- 
cession from Pythagoras, and such was his celebrity that many illus- 
trious names, beside that of Plato, appear in the train of his disciples. 
He excelled not only in speculative philosophy, but in geometry and 
mechanics, and is said to have invented a kind of winged automaton, 
and several curious hydraulic machines. Fie was in such high reputa- 
tion for moral and political wisdom, that, contrary to the usual custom, 
he was appointed seven different times to the supreme magistracy in 
Tarentum. Of his writings none remain except a metaphysical work, 
" On the nature of the universe." His death was occasioned by a ship- 
wreck. Compare Dios;. Laert. 8. 79 — 86. Suidas, s. v. Iambi. 23. 
JElian Var. Hist. 12. 19, &c. Enfield's History of Philosophy, vol. 1. p. 
409. — 3. Matinum. The Matinian shore lay between Callipolis and 
the Iapygian promontory, on the Tarentine gulf. The town of Mati- 
num was a little distance inland. It was famed for its bees and honey. 
(Compare Ode 4. 2. 27.) — 5. Jlerias lentasse domos, &c. " To have 
essayed the etherial abodes." Alluding to the astronomical knowledge 
of the philosopher. — 6. Morituro. " Since death was to be thy certain 
doom." — 7. Pelopis genitor. Tantalus. — Conviva deorum. " Though a 
guest of the gods." The common mythology makes Tantalus to have 
been the entertainer, not the guest, of the gods, and to have served up 
his own son at a banquet in order to test their divinity. Horace follows 
the earlier fable, by which Tantalus is represented as honoured with a 
seat at the table of the gods, and as having incurred their displeasure 
by imparting nectar and ambrosia to mortals. His punishment is well 
known. Pindar mentions his offence, (Olymp. 1. 98.) adavdruv Sri 
*Xf(//a?, k. t. A. Euripides, however, (Orest. 10.) ascribes his fate to a 

different cause : aKd\atrTov saxz y^waaav, aia)(i<JTrjv vdaov. 

8 — 14. 8. Tithonusque remoius in auras. "And Tithonus though 
translated to the skies." An allusion to the fable of Tithonus and Au- 
rora. — 9. Arcanis. Understand consiliis. — Minos. In order to gain more 
reverence for the laws which he promulgated, Minos pretended to have 
had secret conferences with Jove respecting them. — 10. Panthoiden. 
" The son of Panthous." Euphorbus is here meant in name, but Py- 
thagoras in reality. This philosopher taught the doctrine of the trans- 
migration of souls, and is said to have asserted that he himself had ani- 
mated various bodies, and had been at one time Euphorbus the Trojan. 
To prove his identity with the son of Panthous, report made him to have 
gone into the temple of Juno at or near Mycenae, where the shield of 
Euphorbus had been preserved among other offerings, and to have re- 
cognised and taken it down. — Ilerum Oreo demissum. Alluding to the 
doctrine of the transmigration of souls. — 11. Clypeo refixo. " By the 
shield loosened from the wall of the temple." — 13. Nervos atque cutem. 
" His sinews and skin," i. e. his body. — 14. Judice te, &c. " Even in 
thine own estimation, no mean expounder of nature and truth." Allu- 
ding to Pythagoras both as a Natural and Moral philosopher. Some 
editions read me, but te indicates the wide-spread reputation of Pythago- 
ras, whose well-known name was ever in the mouths of the vulgar, 
throughout that part of southern Italy. 

18 — 22. 18. Jlvidum mare. " The greedy ocean." Some editions 
read avidis (" greedy after gain") as agreeing with nautis. This, how- 
ever, would imply a censure on the very individual from whom the favour 
of a burial is supposed to be asked. — 19. Mixta senum, &c, " The 
30 



316 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXIX. 

intermingled funerals of the old and young are crowded together." 
Densentur is from denseo-ere, an old verb, used by Lucretius, Virgil, and 
Pliny. The common text has derisantur from denso,-are. — Nullum caput, 
&c. " No head escapes the stern Proserpina." An hypallage, for nul- 
lum caput fugit savam Proserpinam. The ancients had a belief that no 
one could die, unless Proserpina, or Atropos her minister, cut a lock of 
hair from the head. The idea was evidently borrowed from the analogy 
of animal sacrifices, in which the hair cut from the front, or from between 
the horns of the victims, was regarded as the first offering. — 21. Devem 
Orionis. " Of the setting Orion." The setting of this star was always 
accompanied by tempestuous weather. — 22. Illyricis undis. "Amid the 
Illyrian waters." The allusion is to the Adriatic sea in general. The 
Illyrians, besides their settlements on the north-eastern shores of the 
Adriatic, had at one time extended themselves as far as Ancona, on the 
coast of Italy. 

23 — 35. 23. Ne parce malignus dare. "Do not unkindly refuse to be- 
stow." — 26. Fluctibus Hesperiis. " The western waves." The seas around 
Italy, which country was called Hesperia by the Greeks. — Venusince 
plectantur silvee. " May the Venusian woods be lashed by it." — 28. 
Unde potest. Equivalent to a quibus hoc fieri potest, " For they are able 
to enrich thee." In construing, place wide potest at the end of the sen- 
tence. — 29. Sacri custode Neptuni. Neptune was the tutelary deity of 
Tarentum. — Negligis immerito, &c. " Dost thou make light of commit- 
ting a crime which will prove injurious to thy unoffending posterity ?" 
The crime here alluded to is the neglecting to perform the last sad offices 
to the shade of Archytas. — 31. Postmodo te natis. Equivalent to nepoti- 
bus. Te is here the ablative, depending on natis. — Fors et debitajura, &c. 
" Perhaps both a well-merited punishment and a haughty retribution 
may be awaiting thee thyself." — 33. Inultis. " Unheard." — 35. Licebit 
injecto, &c. " Thou mayest run on after having thrice cast dust on my 
remains." Three handfuls of dust were on such an occasion sufficient 
for all the purposes of a burial. 



Ode 29. The poet, having learned that his friend Iccius had aban- 
doned the study of philosophy, and was turning his attention to deeds of 
arms, very pleasantly rallies him on this strange metamorphosis. 

1 — 5. 1. Beatis gazis. "The rich treasures." Beatus is often used, 
as in the present instance, for dives, from the idea of happiness which the 
crowd associate with the possession of wealth. — Nunc. Emphatical, re- 
ferring to his altered course of life. — Arabum. Augustus, A. TJ. C. 730, 
(which gives the date of the present ode,) sent iElius Gallus, praefect of 
Egypt, with a body of troops against Arabia Felix. The expedition 
proved unsuccessful, having failed more through the difficulties which the 
country and climate presented, than from the desultory attacks of the un- 
disciplined enemy. It was in this army that Iccius would seem to have 
had a command. Compare, in relation to the event here alluded to, Dio 
Cassius, 53. 29.— vol. 1. p. 723. erf. Reim. Strabo. 16. — vol. 6. p. 443. seqq. 
ed. Tzschk. Plin. H. Jf. 6. 28. With regard to the division of Arabia 
into Petreea, Deserta, and Felix, it may be remarked that this arrangement, 
which was made by Megasthenes and Ptolemy, was unknown to the in- 
habitants of the east. Compare latin's Biblical Archceology, p. 8. Upham's 
transl. — Sabcece. Sabasa, a part of Arabia Felix, is here put for the whole 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXX. 317 

region. The Sabai would seem to have occupied what corresponds to 
the northernmost part of the modern Yemen. — HorribUique Mtdo. " And 
for the formidable Parthian." It is more than probable, from a compari- 
son of Ode, 1. 12. 56, and 1. 35. 31, with the present passage, that Augus- 
tus intended the expedition, of which we have been speaking, not merely 
for Arabia Felix, but also for the Parthians and Indi. — 5. Jfectis catenas. A 
pleasant allusion to the fetters in which Iccius, already victorious in imagi- 
nation, is to lead his captives to Rome. — Quce Virginum barbara. "What 
barbarian virgin." A Graecism for quae, virgo barbara. 

7 — 15. 7. Puer quis ex aula. Equivalent to quis puer regius. The 
term aula may refer to the royal court either of the Arabians or the Par- 
thians. — 8. Ad cyathum statuetur. "Shall stand as thy cup-bearer." 
Literally, " shall be placed," &c. — 9. Doctus tender -e. " Skilled in aiming." 
A Gnecism. — Sericas. The Seres were famed for their management of 
the how. The reference here, however, is not so much to these people 
in particular, as to the eastern nations in general. In relation to the Seres 
compare Explanatory Note, Ode 1. 12.56. — 11. Relabi posse. "Can 
glide back." In this sentence, montibus is the dative by a Graecism. 
Prose Latinity would require ad montes. Some make montibus the abla- 
tive, with which they join pronos in the sense of decurrentcs. This ar- 
rangement is decidedly inferior to the one first given. As regards the idea 
intended to be conveyed, it may be observed, that the poet compares his 
friend's abandonment of graver studies for the din of arms, to a total 
alteration of the order of nature. The expression appears to be a prover- 
bial one, and is evidently borrowed from the Greek. — 12. Reverti. " Re- 
turn in its course."--13. Coemtos. " Bought up on all sides." A pleasant 
allusion to his friend's previous ardour in philosophic pursuits. — 14. 
Panaeti. Panaetius, a native of Rhodes, holds no mean rank among the 
Stoic philosophers of antiquity. He passed a considerable part of his life 
at Rome, and enjoyed an intimate acquaintance with several eminent 
Romans, particularly Scipio and Laelius. Cicero highly extols his moral 
doctrine in his treatise " De. Officiis." Towards the end of his life Panas- 
tius removed to Athens, where he died. — Socraticam et domum. " And 
the writings of the Socratic school." Alluding to the philosophical inves- 
tigations of Xenophon, Plato, ^Eschines, and others. — 15. Loricis Iberis. 
The Spanish coats of mail obtained a decided preference among the Ro- 
mans, from the excellence of the metal and its superior temper. 



Ode 30. Venus is invoked to grace with her presence and with that 
of her attendant retinue, the temple prepared for her at the home of 
Glycera. 

1 — 8. 1. Gnidi. Gnidus, or Cnidus, was a Dorian city, on the 
coast of Caria, near the promontory of Triopium. Venus was the tu- 
telary goddess of the place. — Paphique. Paphos was a town of Cyprus, 
on the western coast, where Venus was fabled to have landed, after 
having been wafted thither from the island of Cythera.— 2. Sperne. 
" Look with contempt on," i. e. leave. — 3. Decoram. " Adorned for thy 
reception." — 5. Fervidus puer. Cupid. — 7. Parum comis. " Little able 
to please." — Juventas. The goddess of youth, or Hebe. — 8. Mercurvus- 
que. Mercury is enumerated among the retinue of Venus, in allusion 
to his being the god of language and persuasive eloquence. 



318 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXXI. 

Ode 31. The poet raises a pra) r er to Apollo, on the day when Au- 
gustus dedicated a temple to this deity on the Palatine Hill. Standing 
amid the crowd of worshippers, each of whom is offering up some peti- 
tion to the god, the bard is supposed to break forth on a sudden with 
the abrupt enquiry, " What does the poet (i. e. what do I) ask of Apollo 
on the dedication of his temple ?" His own reply succeeds, disclaiming 
all that the world considers essential to happiness, and ending with the 
simple and beautiful prayer for the " mens sana in corpore sano." 

1 — 8. 1. Dedication. " On the dedication of his temple." — 2. No- 
vum Liquorem. It was customary to use wine of the same year's make 
in libations to the gods. — 4. Sardinia.. Sardinia was famed for its fer- 
tility, which compensated in some degree for its unhealthy climate. — 
Segetes. "Harvests." — 5. Grata armenta. "The fine herds." — JEs- 
tuosce Calabrice. " Of the sunny Calabria." Calabria, in southern Italy, 
was famed for its mild climate and excellent pastures. — 6. Ebur Indi- 
cum. The ivory of India formed one of the most costly instruments of 
Roman luxury. — 7. Liris. This river, now the Garigliano, rises in the 
Appennines and falls into the Tuscan sea near Minturnae. The Liris, 
after the southern boundary of Latium was extended be'ow the Cir- 
caean promontory, separated that region from Campania. Subsequently, 
however, the name of Latium was extended to the mouth of the Vul- 
turnus, and the Massic hills. Compare Cramer's Ancient Italy, vol. 2. 
p. 11. and the authorities there cited. — 8. Mordet. " Undermines," or 
" eats away." 

9 — 16. 9. Premant. " Let those prune." — Calenafalce. An allusion 
to the Falernian vineyards. Compare note on Ode, 1. 20. 9. — 11. Ex- 
siccet. Equivalent to ebibat. " Let the rich trader drain." — Culullis. 
The culullus was properly of baked earth, and was used in sacred rites 
by the pontifices and vestal virgins. Here, however, the term is taken 
in a general sense for any cup. — 12. Syra reparata merce. " Obtained 
in exchange for Syrian wares." By Syrian wares are meant the aro- 
matic products of Arabia and the more distant East, brought first to the 
coast of Syria by the overland trade, and shipped thence to the western 
markets. — 16. Cichorea. "Endives." The term cichoreum (Ki^opsiov, 
or kix&qiov) is, strictly speaking, confined to the cultivated species of 
Intubum or Intybum. The wild sort is called vipis by the Greeks, and 
answers to our bitter succory. The name cichoreum is of Coptic or 
Egyptian origin, the plant itself having been brought from Egypt into 
Europe. The appellation Endive comes from the barbarous word en- 
divia, used in the middle ages, and an evident corruption as well of the 
Arabic hendib as of the classical intybum. Compare Fee, Flore de Vir- 
gile, p. 70. 71. Martyn ad Virg. Georg. 1. 120. — Levesque malvaz. "And 
emollient mallows." Dioscorides (2. 111.) and Theophrastus (1.5.) both 
designate mallows as aliment: the first of these two authors speaks of 
the garden mallows as preferable in this respect to the uncultivated 
kind, from which it may be fairly inferred that several species of this 
plant were used as articles of food. The Greek name of the mallows 
{(ldkdxo) from which both the Latin and English are said to be deduced, 
has reference to their medicinal properties. It is formed from iiaKdacoi, 
" to soften," &c. 

17—20 17. Frui paratis, &c. " Son of Latona, give me, I entreat, 
to enjoy my present possessions, being at the same time both healthful 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXXII. — XXXIV. 319 

in frame and with a mind unimpaired by disease." Or more freely, 
"Give me a sound mind in a sound body, that I may enjoy, as they 
should be enjoyed, the possessions which are mine." The expression 
dones mild valido, &c. frui paratis is a Grscism for dories ut ego validus, 
&c. fruar paratis ." Compare, in relation to the idea here expressed, the 
well-known line of Juvenal, (10. 356.) " Orandum est ut sit mens sana 
in corpore sano." — 20. Cithara carentem. " Devoid of the charms of poe- 
try and music." i. e. a morose and gloomy old age. 



Ode 32. The bard addresses his lyre, and blends with the address 
the praises of Alcaeus. The invocation comes with a peculiar grace from 
one who boasted, and with truth, of having been the first to adapt the 
iEolian strains to Italian measures. (Compare Ode 3. 30 13.) 

1 — 15 1. Poscimur. " We are called upon for a strain." There- 
quest probably came from Augustus or Mrecenas. Bentley reads Posci- 
mus, which then becomes a part of the apostrophe to the lyre. — Si quid 
vacui lusimus tecum. " If we have ever, in an idle moment, produced in 
unison with thee any sportive effusion." — 3. Die Latinum carmen. "Be 
responsive to a Latin ode." 5. Lesbio primum, &c. Attuned to harmo- 
ny most of all by a Lesbian citizen." Primum is here equivalent to 
maxime. Horace assigns to Alcaeus the merit of having brought lyric 
poetry to its highest state of perfection. — 6. Ferox bello. Understand 
quamvis. — 7. Udo litore. Understand in. — 15. Mihi cunque, &c. "Be 
propitious unto me whenever duly invoking thee." Cunque for quando- 
cunque. 



Ode 33. Addressed to Albius Tibullus, the celebrated elegiac poet, 
who had been slighted by the object of his affections. 

2 — 16. 2. Neu miserabiles, &c. " Nor give utterance again and again 
to mournful laments." An allusion to the elegiac strains of Tibnllus. 
— 3. Tibi promiteat. " Is preferred to thee." — 5. Tenui fronte. A low 
forehead was considered a great beauty among the Greeks and Romans. 
This taste was so general, that the females of those days used to hide 
part of their foreheads with bandages. — 7. Declinat. Understand ani- 
mum. " Turns away his affections." — 9. Turpi peccet cuhdtero. " Shall 

f'ield her affections to so disagreeable a lover." Mullero is here equiva- 
ent merely to amalori. — 10. Impares jorrmas atque animus. "Unequal 
forms and minds," i. e. persons and tempers little in unison with each 
other. — 14. Grata compede. " With the pleasing chain of love." — 16. 
Curvantis Calabros sinus. "Indenting with bays the coast of Calabria." 



Ode 34. Horace, a professed Epicurean, having heard thunder in a 
cloudless sky, abandons the tenets which he had hitherto adopted, and 
declares his belief in the superintending providence of the gods. Such, 
at least, appears to be the plain meaning of the ode. It is more than 
probable, however, that the poet merely wishes to express his dissent 
from the Epicurean dogma which made the gods take no interest what- 
ever in the affairs of men. The argument employed for this purpose is 



320 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I.'ODE XXXV. 

trival enough in reality, and yet to an Epicurean of the ancient school it 
would carry no little weight along with it. Thus Lucretius positively 
states, that thunder in a serene and cloudless sky is a physical impossi- 
bility. 

" Fulminagigni de crassis, alteque, putandum est, 

Nubibus exstructis : nam cazlo nulla sereno, 

Nee leviter densis mittuntur nubibus unquam." 

De R. JV. 6. 245. seqq. 

1 — 7. 1. Parous deorum, &c. The Epicureans would appear only to 
have conformed to the outward ceremonies of religion, and that too in no 
very strict or careful manner. The doctrine of their founder, after all that 
may be said in its praise, tended directly to atheism ; and there is strong 
reason to suspect, that what he taught concerning the gods was artfully 
designed to screen him from the odium and hazard which would have at- 
tended a direct avowal of atheism. Compare Enfield's History of Philoso- 
phy, vol. 1. p. 450. seqq. — 2. Insanientis ilum philosophies, &c. " While I 
wander from the true path, imbued with the tenets of a visionary philoso- 
phy." The expression insanientis sapientice (literally, " an unwise system 
of wisdom,") presents a pleasing oxymoron, and is levelled directly at the 
philosophy of Epicurus. — 4. Iterare cursus relictos. " To return to the 
course which I had abandoned." Heinsius proposes relectos for relictos, 
which Bentley advocates and receives into his text. — 5. Diespiter. " The 
father of light." Jupiter. — 7. Per purum. "Through a cloudless sky." 
Understand calum. Thunder in a cloudless sky was ranked among 
prodigies. 

9 — 14. 9. Bruta tellus. " The earth, though heavy and senseless." 
By the "brute earth" is meant, in the language of commentators, " terra 
quce sine sensu immota el gravis manet." — 10. Invisi horrida Tenari sedes. 
The promontory of Taenarus, forming the southernmost projection of the 
Peloponnesus, was remarkable for a cave in its vicinity, said to be one of 
the entrances to the lower world, and by which Hercules dragged Cerbe- 
rus to the regions of day. — 11. Jitlanteusque finis. "And Atlas, limit of 
the world." Literally, "the boundary of Atlas." The ancients believed 
this chain of mountains to be the farthest barrier to the west. — 12. Valet 
ima summis, &c. The train of thought is as follows : Warned by this 
prodigy, I no longer doubt the interposition of the gods in human affairs ; 
nay, I consider the deity all-powerful to change things from the lowest to 
the highest degree, and to humble to the dust the man that now occupies 
the loftiest and most conspicuous station among his fellow-creatures. 
Compare Hesiod, Ipy. koX^ji. 5. seqq. — 14. Hinc apicem, &c. "From the 
head of this one, Fortune, with a loud rushing sound of her pinions, bears 
away the tiara in impetuous flight ; on the head of that one she delights in 
having placed it." Sustulit is here taken in an aorist sense. As regards 
the term apicem, it may be remarked, that, though specially signifying the 
tiara of Eastern royalty, it has here a general reference to the crown or 
diadem of kings. 



Ode 35. , Augustus, A. IT. C. 726, had levied two armies, the one in- 
tended against the Britons, the other against the natives of Arabia Felix 
and the east. The former of these was to be led by the emperor in person. 
At this period the present ode is supposed to have been written. It is an 
address to Fortune, and invokes her favouring influence for the arms of 
Augustus. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. ODE XXXV. 321 

The latter of these two expeditions has already been treated of in the 
Introductory Remarks on the 29th Ode of this book. The first only pro- 
ceeded as far as Gaul, where its progress was arrested by the Britons' 
suing for peace, and by the troubled state of Gallic affairs. The negotia- 
tions, however, were subsequently broken off, and Augustus prepared 
anew for a campaign against the island, but the rebellion of the Salassi, 
Cantabri and Astures intervened, and the reduction of these tribes en- 
grossed the attention of the prince. Compare Dio Cassius, 53. 22. and 25. 
— vol. I. p. 717. and 719. Ed. Reim. 

1 — 7. 1. Jlntium. A city on the coast of Latium, celebrated for its 
temple of Fortune. — 2. Prcesens toller e. "That in an instant canst raise." 
— 3. Vel superbos, &c. " Or convert splendid triumphs into disasters." 
Funeribus is in the ablative, the casus instrumentalis. — 5. In this and the 
following line, we have adopted the punctuation recommended by Mark- 
land, viz. a comma after prece, and another after ruris, which latter word 
will then depend on dominant understood, and the whole clause will then 
be equivalent to "pauper colonus, soUlcita prece, ambit te, dominam ruris ; 
quicunque lacessit, &c. te dominam ccquorls {ambit.) — Ambit sollicita prece. 
" Supplicates in anxious prayer." — 7. Bithyna. Bitbynia, in Asia Minor, 
was famed for its natural productions which gave rise to a very active 
commerce between this region and the capital of Italy. The expression 
in the text, however, refers more particularly to the naval timber in which 
the country abounded. — 8. Carpathium pelagus. A name applied to that 
part of the Mediterranean which lay between the islands of Carpathus 
and Crete. 

9 — 13. 9. Dacus. Ancient Dacia corresponds to what is now in a 
great measure Valachia, Transylvania, Moldavia, and that part of Hun- 
gary which lies to the east of the Teiss. — Profugi Scythce. " The roving 
Scythians." The epithet profugi is here used with reference to the pe- 
culiar habits of this pastoral race, in having no fixed abodes, but dwell- 
ing in waggons. — 10. Latium ferox. " Warlike Latium." — 11. Region 
barbarorum. An allusion to the monarchs of the East, and more parti- 
cularly to Parthia. — 12. Purpurei Tyranni. " Tyrants clad in purple." 
— 13. Injurioso nepede, &c. "Lest with destructive foot thou overthrow 
the standing column of affairs." The scholiast makes stantem columnam 
equivalent to prcesentem felicitatem, and the allusion of the poet is to the 
existing- state of affairs among the Dacians, Scythians, and others men- 
tioned in the text. A standing column was a general symbol among the 
ancients of public security. Some editions place a colon or period after 
tyranni, and the meaning then is, " Do not with destructive foot over- 
throw the standing column of the empire," alluding to the durability of 
the Roman sway. The interpretation first given, however, is decidedly 
preferable : the change in the latter is too sudden and abrupt. 

14 — 18. 14. Neu populus frequens, &c. " Or lest the thronging po- 
pulace arouse the inactive to arms! to arms ! and destroy the public 
repose." The repetition of the phrase ad arma is intended to express 
the redoubled outcries of an agitated throng, calling upon the dilatory 
and inactive to add themselves to their number. The term imperium in 
this passage is equivalent merely to publicum quietem, or reipublicm sta- 
tum, taking respublica in the general sense of " government." — 17. Te 
semper ante.it, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is, that all tilings 
must yield to the power of fortune. This is beautifully expressed in the 
language of the text, " Thee thy handmaid Necessity ever precedes." 



322 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXXT. 

— Anteit must be pronounced ant-yit, as a dissyllable, by Synreresis. — 
13. Clavos trabales. Necessity is here represented with all such appen- 
dages as may serve to convey the idea of firm and unyielding power. 
Thus she bears in her hand clavos clabales, "large spikes," like those 
employed for connecting closely together the timbers of an edifice. She 
is armed also with " wedges," used for a similar purpose, not for cleav- 
ing asunder, as some explain it. In like manner, the "unyielding 
clamp" {severus uncus) makes its appearance, which serves to unite 
more firmly two masses of stone, while the " melted lead" is required 
to secure the clamp in its bed. Some commentators erroneously con- 
sider the clavos trabales, &c. as instruments of punishment. 

21—29. 21. Te Spes et albo, &c. The idea which the poet wishes 
lo convey is, that. Hope and Fidelity are inseparable from Fortune. In 
other words, Hope always cheers the unfortunate with a prospect of 
better days to come, and a faithful friend only adheres the more closely 
to us under the pressure of adversity. The epithet rara alludes to the 
paucity of true friends, while the expression albo velalo panno refers in a 
very beautiful manner to the sincerity and candour by which they are 
always distinguished. — 23. Utcunque mutata, &c. "Whenever, clad in 
sordid vestments, thou leavest in anger the abodes of the powerful." 
Prosperous fortune is arrayed in splendid attire, but when the anger of 
the goddess is kindled, and she abandons the dwellings of the mighty, 
she changes her fair vestments for a sordid garb. — 26. Cadis cum face 
siccatis. " When the casks are drained to the very dregs." Faithless 
friends abandon us after our resources have been exhausted in gratify- 
ing their selfish cupidity. — 28. Ferre jugiim pan'ter dolosi. A Gnecism 
for nimis dolosi quam ut ferant, &c. " Too faithless to bear in common 
with us the yoke of adversity." Compare Serm. 1. 4. 12. " piger ferre," 
i.e. "nimis piger quam ut ferat." — 29. Ultimos orbis Britannos. In de- 
signating the Britons as " ultimos orbis," Horace must be understood to 
speak more as a poet than a geographer, since the Romans of his day 
were well acquainted with the existence of Hibernia. It must be ac- 
knowledged, however, that it was no uncommon thing to call all the 
islands in this quarter by the general name of Insidce Britannicm {'Bpc- 
Tavixai vrjaoi.) Compare Pliny, H. N. 4. 6. and Mannert, Geogr. der 
Griechen und Romer, vol. 2. pt. 2. p. 33. seqq. Catullus also (11. 11.) 
applies the epithet ultimos to the Britons, but at a much earlier period. 

30 — 33. 30. Juvenum recens examen. " The recent levy of youthful 
warriors." — 32. OceanoqueRubro. " And by the Indian Sea." The whole 
extent of sea along the southern coast of Asia, was called by the Greeks, 
while as yet they knew little of India, >'/ 'EpuSpa $d\aova {Mare Erythroz- 
um) and the name was said to be derived from that of an ancient mon- 
arch, Erythras, who reigned at a very early period on these shores. Sub- 
sequently, however, the term was restricted to the sea below Arabia and 
between the Arabian and Persian gulf. The Latin appellation, Ocea- 
nus Ruber, answers in the present instance to the ''EpvBpd $d\atraa in its 
more extensive meaning, and is evidently a translation of the name, on 
the supposition that it refers to colour. It is more than probable that 
this supposition is the true one, and that no monarch of the name of 
Erythras ever existed. A collateral argument in favour of this may be 
drawn from the modern designation of the Sinus Arabicus, {Red Sea.) 
The meaning of this modern name must be looked for in thatof Idumea 
or the land of Edom, whose coasts the Sinus Arabicus touches on the 
north. Edom, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies red, and was the name 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK 1. ODE XXXTI. 323 

given to Esau for selling his birthright for a mess of red pottage. — 33. 
Eheu ! cicatricum, &c. " Ah ! I am ashamed of our scars, and our 

guilt, and of brothers " The poet was going to add, "slain by the 

hand of brothers," but the thought was too horrid for utterance, and the 
sentence is therefore abruptly broken off. (Consult Various Readings.) 
He merely adds in general language, " What in fine have we, a hardened 
age, avoided?" &c. The reference throughout the stanza is to the 
bloody struggle of the civil wars. 

38 — 39. 38. utinam diffingas. " O mayest thou forge again." 
The poet's prayer to Fortune is that she would forge anew the swords 
which had been stained with the blood of the Romans in the civil war, 
so that they might be employed against the enemies of the republic. 
While polluted with civil blood they must be the objects of hatred and 
aversion to the gods. — 39. In Massagetas Jlrabasque. " To be wielded 
against the Massagetas and the Arabians." The MassagetoB were a 
branch of the great Scythian race, and according to Herodotus (1.204.) 
occupied a level tract of country to the east of the Caspian. Larcher 
considers their name equivalent probably to " Eastern Getae." (His- 
toire d' Htrodote. vol. 8. p. 323. Table Geographique. ) 



Ode 36. Plotius Numida having returned, after a long absence, from 
Spain, where he had been serving under Augustus in the Cantabrian 
war, the poet bids his friends celebrate in due form so joyous an event. 
This ode would appear to have been written about A. U. C. 730. 

1 — 10. 1. Et thure etfidihis, &c. " With both incense and the music 
of the lyre, and the blood of a steer due to the fulfilment of our vow." 
The ancient sacrifices were accompanied with the music of the lyre and 
flute. — 3. Numidcz. A cognomen of the Plotian and ^Emilian lines. — 
4. Hesperia ab ultima. " From farthest Spain." Referring to the situa- 
tion of this country as farthest to the west. Hesperia was a more com- 
mon name for Italy as lying to the west of Greece. For distinction's 
sake, Spain was sometimes called Hesperia ultima. — 6. Dividit. " Dis- 
tributes." — S. Non alio rege. " Under the same preceptor." — 9." Muta- 
te que simul logaz. Young men, among the Romans, when they had 
completed their seventeenth year, laid aside the toga prcetexia, and put 
on the toga virilis, or manly gown. — 10. Cressa nota. " A white mark." 
The Romans marked their lucky days, in the calendar, with white or 
chalk, and their unlucky days with black. 

11 — 20. 11. Neu promptm, &c. "Nor let us spare the contents of 
the wine jar taken from the vault." — 12. Saliwn. The Salii, or priests 
of Mars, twelve in number, were instituted by Numa. They were so 
called because on solemn occasions they used to go through the city 
dancing (saltantes.) After finishing their solemn procession, they sat 
down to a splendid entertainment. Hence Saliares dapes means " a 
splendid banquet." — 13. Multi Damalis men. " The hard drinking Da- 
malis." — 14. Threicia amystide. "In tossing off the wine cup after the 
Thracian fashion." The amystis (ajivtm;) was a mode of drinking prac- 
tised by the Thracians, and consisted in draining the cup without once 
closing the lips. {a>priv. jiuu, claudo.) It denotes also a large kind of 



324 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXXVII. 

drinking cup. — 16. Vivax opium. " The parsley that long retains its 
verdure." The poet is thought to allude to a kind of wild parsley, of a 
beautiful verdure which preserves its freshness for a long period. — Breve 
lilium. " The short lived lily." — 17. Putres. "Wanton." — 20. Jimbi- 
tiosior. " Encircling him more closely." 



Ode 37. Written in celebration of the victory at Actium, and the final 
triumph of Augustus over the arms of Antony and Cleopatra. The 
name of the unfortunate Roman, however, is studiously concealed, and 
the indignation of the poet is made to fall upon Cleopatra. 

2 — 6. 2. Nunc Saliaribus, &c. "Now was it the time to deck the 
temples of the gods with a splendid banquet." The meaning becomes 
plainer by a paraphrase: "We were right, my friends, in waiting until 
the present moment : this was indeed the true period for the expression 
of our joy." We must imagine these words to have proceeded from the 
poet after the joyous ceremonies had already begun. — Saliaribus dapibus. 
Literally, " with a Salian banquet." Consult note on verse 12, of the pre- 
ceding ode. — 3. Pulvinar. The primitive meaning of this term is, a cush- 
ion or pillow for a couch ; it is then taken to denote the couch itself; and 
finally it signifies, from the operation of a peculiar custom among the 
Romans, a temple or shrine of the gods. When a general had obtained 
a signal victory, a thanksgiving was decreed by the Senate to be made in 
all the temples ; and what was called a Lectisternium took place, when 
couches were spread for the gods as if about to feast ; and their images 
were taken down from their pedestals and placed upon these couches 
around the altars, which were loaded with the richest dishes. Dr. Adam, 
in his work on Roman Antiquities, states that on such occasions the 
image of Jupiter was placed in a reclining posture, and those of Juno and 
Minerva erect on seats. The remark is an erroneous one. The custom 
to which he refers was confined to solemn festivals in honour of Jove. 
Compare Vul. Max. 2. 1. 2. — With regard to the meaning we have as- 
signed pulvinar in the text, and which is not given by some lexicographers. 
Consult Ernesti, Clav. Cic. s. v. Schiitz, Index. Lat. in Cic. Op. s. v. — 5. 
Jintehac. To be pronounced as a dissyllable, (ant-yac.) The place ot 
the caesura is not accurately observed either in this or the 14th line. Con- 
sult ClassicalJourna', vol. 11. p. 354. — Cmcubvm. Used here to denote 
any of the more generous kinds of wine. Compare note on Ode 1. 20. 9. 
— 6. Dum Capitolio, &c. "While a frenzied queen was preparing ruin for 
the capitol and destruction for the Empire." An Hypallage for dum Ca- 
pitolio regina demeris, &c. Horace indulges here in a spirit of poetic exag- 
geration, since Antony and Cleopatra intended merely, in case they proved 
victorious, to transfer the seat of empire from Rome to Alexandria. Dio 
Cassius (50. 4. vol. 1. p. 606. ed. Reimar.) states as one of the rumours ot 
the day, that Antony had promised to bestow the city of Rome as a pre- 
sent upon Cleopatra, and to remove the government to Egypt. 

9 — 14. 9. Contaminato cum grege, &c. " With a contaminated herd 
of followers polluted by disease." — 10. Quidibet impotens sperare. "Weak 
enough to hope for any thing." A Graecism, for impotens ut quidlibet 
speraret. — 11. Fortunaque dulci ebria. "And intoxicated with prosperity." 
— 13. Sospes ab ignibus. "Saved from the flames." We have here 
somewhat of poetic exaggeration. Cleopatra lied with sixty ships, while 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. ODE XXXVII. 325 

three hundred were taken by Augustus. Many of Antony's vessels, how- 
ever, were destroyed by fire during the action. — 14. Lymphatam Mareotico. 
u Maddened with Mareotic wine." A bitter, though not strictly accurate, 
allusion to the luxurious habits of Cleopatra. The poet pretends in this 
way to account for the panic which seized her at Actium. — Mareotico. 
The Mareotic wine was produced along the borders of the lake Mareotis, 
in iEgypt. It was a light, sweetish, white wine, with a delicate perfume, 
of easy digestion, and not apt to affect the head, though the allusion of 
Horace would seem to imply that it had not always preserved its innocu- 
ous quality. 

16 — 23. 16. Jib Italia volantem, &c. " Pursuing her with swift gallies, 
as she fled from Italy." The expression ab Italia volantem is to be ex- 
plained by the circumstance of Antony and Cleopatra's having intend- 
ed to make a descent upon Italy before Augustus should be apprised of 
their coming. Hence the flight of Cleopatra, at the battle of Actium, 
was in reality ab Italia. — 20. Hcemonia. Hiemonia was one of the early 
names of Thessaly. — 21. Fated c monstrum. "The fated monster," i.e. 
the fated cause of evil to the Roman world. — Quae. A syllepsis, the 
relative being made to refer to the person indicated by monstrum, not to 
the grammatical gender of the antecedent itself. — 23. Expavit ensem. 
An allusion to the attempt which Cleopatra made upon her own life, 
when Proculaius was sent by Augustus to secure her person. — JVec la- 
tentes, &c. "Nor sought with a swift fleet for secret shores." By laten- 
tes oras are meant coasts lying concealed from the sway of the Romans. 
Plutarch states, that Cleopatra formed the design, after the battle at Ac- 
tium, of drawing a fleet of vessels into the Arabian gulf, across the neck 
of land called at the present day the isthmus of Suez, and of seeking 
some remote country where she might neither be reduced to slavery nor 
involved in war. The biographer adds, that the first ships transported 
across were burnt by the natives of Arabia Petraea, and that Cleopatra 
subsequently abandoned the enterprise, resolving to fortify the avenues 
of her kingdom against the approach of Augustus. The account, 
however, which Dio Cassius gives, differs in some respect from that of 
Plutarch, since it makes the vessels destroyed by the Arabians to have 
been built on that side of the isthmus. Compare Plutarch, Vit. Anton, c. 
69. — vol. 6. p. 143. ed. Hutten. and Dio Cassius, 51. 7. — vol. 1. p. 637. ed. 
Reimar. 

25 — 26. 25. Jacentem regiam. " Her palace plunged in affliction." — 
26. Fortiset asperas, &c. "And had courage to handle the exasperated 
serpents." Horace here adopts the common opinion of Cleopatra's death 
having been occasioned by the bite of an asp, the animal having been 
previously irritated by the queen with a golden bodkin. There is a 
great deal of doubt, however, on this subject, as may be seen from Plu- 
tarch's statement. After mentioning the common account, which we 
have just given, the biographer remarks, "It was likewise reported tha 
she carried about with her certain poison in a hollow bodkin which she 
wore in her hair, yet there was neither any mark of poison on her body, 
nor was there any serpent found in the monument, though the track of 
a reptile was said to have been discovered on the sea-sands opposite the 
windows of her apartment. Others again have affirmed, that she had 
two small punctures on her arm, apparently occasioned by the asp's 
sting, and to this Caesar obviously gave credit ; for her effigy which he 
earned in triumph, had an asp on the arm." It is more than probable 



320 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE I. 

that the asp on the arm of the effigy was a mere ornament, mistaken by 
the populace for a symbolical allusion to the manner of Cleopatra's 
death. Or wemay conclude with Wrangham, that therewould of course 
be an asp on the diadem of the effigy, because it was peculiar to the 
kings of Egypt. 

29 — 30. 29. Deliberatamorte ferocior. " Becoming more fierce by a 
determined resolution to die." — 30. Saevis Liburnis, &c. "Because, 
being a haughty woman, she disdained being led away in the hostile 
galliesof theLiburnians, deprived of all her former rank, for the purpose 
of gracing the proud triumph of Augustus." Superbo trinmpho is here 
put by a Grsecism fora<Z superbum triumphum. — The naves Liburna were 
a kind of light galleys used by the Liburnians, an Illyrian race along 
the coast of the Adriatic, addicted to piracy. To ships of this construc- 
tion Augustus was in a great measure indebted for his victory at Acti- 
um. The vessels of Antony, on the other hand, were remarkable for 
their great size. Compare the tumid description of Florus (4. 11, 5.) 
" Turribus atque tabulatis allevatce, castellorum et urbium specie, non sine 
gemitu maris, et labore ventorum ferebantur." 



Ode 38. Written in condemnation, as is generally supposed, of the 
luxury and extravagance which marked the banquets of the day. The 
bard directs his attendant to make the simplest preparations for his en- 
tertainment. 

1 — 5. 1. Persicos apparatus. " The festal preparations of the Per- 
sians," i. e. luxurious and costly preparations. — 2. Nexcephilyra coronas. 
" Chaplets secured with the rind of the linden." — 3. Mitte sectari. 
"Give over searching." — 4. Moretur. "Loiters beyond its season." — 
5. Nihil allabores sedvlus curce. " Strive not with earnest care to add 
any thing." Sedulm cures is a Graecism for sedula cura. 



BOOK II. 

Ode 1. C. Asinius Pollio, distinguished as a soldier, a pleader, and a 
Tragic author, was engaged in writing a history of the civil war. The 
poet earnestly entreats him to persevere, and not to return to the paths 
of Tragic composition until he should have completed his promised, 
narrative of Roman affairs. The ode describes in glowing colours the 
expectations entertained by the poet of the ability with which Pollio 
would treat so interesting and difficult a subject. 

For remarks on the character and writings of Pollio, compare Dun- 
lop' 's Roman Literature, vol. 3. p. 45. seqq. Lond. ed. 

1 — 6. 1. Ex Metello consule. "From the consulship of Metellus." The 
narrative of Pollio, consequently, began with the formation of the first 
triumvirate, by Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, A. U. C. 694, in the con- 
sulship of Q,. Caecilius Metellus and L. Afranius. This may well be 
considered as the germ of the civil wars that ensued. — The Romans 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. —BOOK II. ODE I. 327 

marked the year by the names of the consuls, and he who had most 
suffrages, &c. was placed first. The Athenians, on the other hand, de- 
signated their years by the name of the chief archon, who was hence 
called "Apx^v 'E7rwv«f<of. — 2. Bellique causas, Sac. " And of the causes, 
and the errors, and the operations, of the war." The term vitia has 
here a particular reference to the rash and unwise plans of Pompeyand 
his followers. — 3. Ludumque Fortnnce. " And of the game that For- 
tune played." — Gravesque pnncipum amicitias. " And of the fatal con- 
federacies of the chiefs." An allusion to the two triumvirates. Of the 
first we have already spoken. The second was composed of Octavia- 
nus, Antony, and Lepidus. Compare Lucan, 1. 84. — 5. Nondvm expi- 
atis. Compare Ode 1. 2. 29. — 6. Periculoscz plenum, &c. "An under- 
taking full of danger and of hazard." Opus is applied by some, though 
less correctly, we conceive, to the civil war itself. — The metaphor of the 
poet is borrowed from the Roman games of chance. 

8 — 12. 8. Cineri. The dative put by a Graseism for the ablative. 
9. P outturn severce, &c. " Let the Muse of dignified tragedy be absent 
for a while from our theatres," i. e. suspend for a season thy labours in 
the field of Tragic composition. — The muse of tragedy is Melpomene, 
who presided also over lyric verse. Compare Explanatory Notes, Ode 
1.24.3. — 10. Ubipublicas res ordinaris. "When thou hast completed 
thy history of our public affairs." The phrase may also be rendered, 
" When thou hast settled our public affairs," i. e. when in the order of 
thy narrative thou hast brought the history of our country down to the 

f>resent period of tranquillity and repose. The former interpretation is 
ess poetic indeed, but in every other point of view decidedly preferable. 
— 11. Grande munus, &c. " Thou wilt resume the important task with 
all the dignity of the Athenian tragic style," i. e. thou wilt return to 
thy labours in the walks of tragedy, and rival, as thou hast already 
done, the best efforts of the dramatic poets of Greece. The cothurnus, 
(noddpvos,) is here put figuratively for tragedy. 12. Cecropio. Equiva- 
lent to Attico, and alluding to Cecrops as the founder of Athens. 

13 — 23. 13. Insigne moestis, &c. " Distinguished source of aid to 
the sorrowful accused." Alluding to his abilities as an advocate. — 
14. Consulenti curia. "To the senate asking thy advice." It was the 
duty of the consul or presiding magistrate to ask the opinions of the 
individual senators (consulere senatum.) Here, however, the poet very 
beautifully assigns to the senate itself the office of him who presided 
over their deliberations, and in making them ask the individual opinion 
of Pollio, represents them as following with implicit confidence his di- 
recting and counselling voice. — 16. Dalmatico triumpho. Pollio tri- 
umphed A. U. C. 715, over the Parthini, an Illyrian race, in the vicinity 
of Epidamnus. — 17. Jam nunc minaci, &c. The poet fancies himself 
listening to the recital of Pollio's poem, and to be hurried on by the 
animated and graphic periods of his friend into the midst of combats. — 
19. Fugaces terret equos, &c. " Terrifies the flying steeds, and spreads 
alarm over the countenances of their riders." The zeugma in terret is 
worthy of attention. — 21. Audire magnos, Sac. "Already methinks I 
hear the cry of mighty leaders, stained with no inglorious dust." — 23. 
Et cuncta terrarum, Sac. " And see the whole world subdued, except the 
unyielding soul of Cato." After cuncta understand loca. Cato the 
younger is alluded to, who put an end to his existence at Utica. 

25. — 40. 25. Juno et deorum, &c. "Juno, and whosoever of the 
31 



328 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE II. 

gods, more friendly to the people of Africa, unable to resist the power 
of the fates, had retired from a land they could not then avenge, in after 
days offered up the descendants of the conquerors as a sacrifice to the 
shade of Jugurtha." The victory at Thapsus, where Caesar triumphed 
over the remains of Pompey's party in Africa, and after which Cato put 
an end to his own existence at Utica, is here alluded to in language 
beautifully poetic. Juno, and the other tutelary deities of Africa, com- 
pelled to bend to the loftier destinies of the Roman name in the Punic 
conflicts and in the war with Jugurtha, are supposed, in accordance with 
the popular belief on such subjects, to have retired from the land which 
they found themselves unable to save. In a later age, however, taking 
advantage of the civil dissensions among the conquerors, they make the 
battle-field at Thapsus, where Roman met Roman, a vast place of sa- 
crifice, as it were, in which thousands were immolated to the manes of 
Jugurtha and the fallen fortunes of the land. — 29. Qws non Latino, &c. 
The poet, as an inducement forPollio to persevere, enlarges in glowing 
colours on the lofty and extensive nature of the subject, which occupies 
the attention of his friend. — 31. Auditumque Medis, &c. "And the 
sound of the downfall of Italy, heard even by the distant nations of the 
East." Under the term Medis there is a special reference to the Par- 
thians, the bitterest foes to the Roman name. — 34. Daunice cades. 
"The blood of Romans." Daunitz is here put for Italce or Romance. 
Compare note on Ode 1. 22. 13. — 37. Sed ne relictis, &c. "But do not, 
bold muse, abandon sportive themes, and resume the task of the Csean 
dirge," i. e. never again boldly presume to direct thy feeble efforts towards 
subjects of so grave and mournful a character. The expression ccem 
nanice refers to Simonides, the famous bard of Ceos, distinguished as a 
writer of mournful elegy. — 39. Dionao sub antro. "Beneath some cave 
sacred to Venus." Dione was the mother of Venus, whence the epithet 
Dionaus applied to the latter goddess and what concerned her. — 40. 
Leviore plectro. " Of a lighter strain." — Compare note on Ode 1. 26. 11. 



Ode 2. The poet shows that the mere possession of riches can 
never bestow real happiness. Those alone are truly happy and truly 
wise who know how to enjoy, in a becoming manner, the gifts whicn 
Fortune may bestow, since otherwise present wealth only gives rise to 
an eager desire for more. 

The ode is addressed to Crispus Sallustius, nephew to the historian, 
and is intended, in fact, as a high encomium on his own wise employ- 
ment of the ample fortune left him by his uncle. Naturally of a retired 
and philosophic character, Sallust had remained content with the eques- 
trian rank in which he was born, declining all the offers of advancement 
that were made him by Augustus. 

1 — 12. 1. Nidlus argento color. " Silver has no brilliancy." — 2.2m- 
mice lamnce nisi temperato, &c. " Thou foe to wealth, unless it shine by 
moderate use." Lamnce (for lamincc) properly denotes plates of gold or 
silver, i. e. coined money or wealth in general. — 5. Extento cevo. " To 
distant ages." — Proculeius. C. Proculeius Varro Muraena, a Roman 
knight, and the intimate friend of Augustus. He is here praised for 
having shared his estate with his two brothers who had lost all their 
property for siding with Pompey in the civil wars. — 6. Notus in fratres, 
&c Well known for his paternal affection towards his brethren." — 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE III. 329 

7. Penna metuente solvi. " On an untiring pinion." Literally, on a pinion 
fearing to be tired or relaxed. The allusion is a figurative one, and re- 
fers to a pinion guarding against being enfeebled. — 11. Gadibus. Gades, 
now Cadiz, in Spain. — Uterque Poenus. Alluding to the Carthaginian 
power, both at home and along the coast, of Spain. Thus we have the 
Poeni in Africa, and the Bastuli Poeni along the lower part of the Me- 
diterranean coast in the Spanish peninsula. — 12. Uni. Understand 

mi. 

13 — 23. 13. Crescetindulgens sibi,&Lc. "The direful dropsy increas- 
es by self indulgence." Compare the remark of the scholiast : "Est 
aulem hydropico proprium ut quanlo amplius biberit, tanto amphius sitiat." 
The avaricious man is here compared to one who is suffering under a 
dropsy. In either case there is the same hankering after what only serves 
to aggravate the nature of the disease. — 15. Jlquosus languor. The 
dropsy (b$punf>) takes its name from the circumstance of ivater (iSoip) be- 
ing the most visible cause of the distemper, as well as from the pallid hue 
which overspreads the countenance (cSty) of the sufferer. It arises in fact 
from too lax a tone of the solids, whereby digestion is weakened, and 
all the parts are filled beyond measure. — 17. Cyrisolio. By the "throne 
of Cyrus," is here meant the Parthian empire. Compare note on Ode 1. 
2. 22. — Phrahaten. Compare note on Ode 1. 26. 5. — 18. Dhsidens ple- 
bi. "Dissenting from the crowd." — 19. Virtus. " True wisdom." — 
Populumque falsis, &c. "And teaches the populace to disuse false names 
for things." — 22. Propriamque laurum. " And the neverfading laurel." 
— 23. Oculo irretorto. "With a steady gaze," i. e. without an envious 
look. Not regarding them with the sidelong glance of envy, but with 
the steady gaze of calm indifference. 



Ode 3. Addressed to GL. Dellius, and recommending a calm enjoy- 
ment of the pleasures of existence, since death, sooner or later will bring 
all to an end. The individual to whom the ode is inscribed was remark- 
able for his fickle and vacillating character ; and so often did he change 
sides during the civil contest which took place after the death of Cassar, 
as to receive from Messala the appellation of dcsvltorem bellorum civili- 
um; a pleasant allusion to the Roman desultores, who rode two horses 
joined together, leaping quickly from the one to the other. Compare 
Seneca, (Suasor. p. 7.) " Bellissimam tamen rem Dellius dixit, quern Mes- 
sala Corvinus desultorem bellorum civilium vocat, quia ab Dolabella ad Cas- 
sium transiturus salutem, sibi paclus est, si Dolabellam occidisset; el a Cas- 
sia deinde transmit ad Anlonium : novissumeab Antonio transfugit ad C(Bsa- 
rem." Consult also Velleius Pater cuius, 2. 84. and Dio Cassius. 49. 39. 

2 — 8. 2. JV<m secus in bonis, &c. "As well as one restrained from 
immoderate joy in prosperity." — 4. Monture. "Who at some time or 
other must end thy existence." Dacier well observes, that the whole 
beauty and force oft.his strophe consists inthe singleword moriture, which 
is not only an epithet, but a reason to confirm the poet's advice. — 6. In 
remoto gramine. "In some grassy retreat. ' — Dies Festus. Days among 
the Romans weredistinguished into three general divisions, theDiesFes- 
ti, Dies Profesti, and Dies Intercisi. The Dies Festi, " Holy days," were 
consecrated to religious purposes : the Dies Profesti were given to the 
common business of life, and the Dies Intercisi were half holidays, di- 



330 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE IV. 

vided between sacred and ordinary occupations. The Dies Fasti, on the 
other hand, were those on which it was lawful (fas) for the Praetor to sit 
in judgment. All other days were called Dies Nefasti, or " Non-court 
days." Compare Crombie, Gymnasium, vol. 2. p. 56. 3d ed. — 8. Inte- 
riore nota Falerni. " With the old Falernian," i. e. the choicest wine, 
which was placed in the farthest part of the vault or crypt, marked with 
its date and growth. 

9 — 19. 9. Quapinus ingens, &c. " Where the tall pine and silver pop- 
lar love to unite in forming with their branches an hospitable shade." 
The poet is probably describing some beautiful spot in the pleasure- 
grounds of Dellius. — 11. Et obliquo laboi-at, &c. "And the swiftly 
moving water strives to run murmuring along in its winding channel." 
The beautiful selection of terms in laborat and trepidare, is worthy of 
all praise. — 13. Nimiumbrevis rosce. "Of the too short-lived rose." — 
15. Res. "Your circumstances." — Sororum. The Fates. — 17. Co- 
emptis. " Bought up on all sides." — Domo. The term dmnus here de- 
notes that part of the villa occupied by the proprietor himself, while 
villa designates the other buildings and appurtenances of the estate. 
Hence we may render the words et domo villaque as follows: "and 
from thy lordly mansion and estate." — 18. Flavus Tiberis. Compare 
note on Ode 1. 2. 13. — 19. Exstnictis in altum. " Piled up on high." 

21 — 28. 21. Divesne prisco, &c. "It matters not whether thou 
dwellest beneath the light of heaven, blessed with riches and descended 
from Inachus of old, or in narrow circumstances and of the lowliest 
birth, since in either event thou art the destined victim of unrelenting 
Orcus." The expression prisco natus ab Inacho is equivalent to antiquis- 
sima stirpe oriundus, Inachus having been, according to the common ac- 
count, the most ancient king of Argos. — 25. Omnes eodem cogimur. 
" We are all driven towards the same quarter." Alluding to the pas- 
sage of the shades, under the guidance of Mercury, to the other world. 
— Omnium versatur urna, &c. " The lots of all are shaken in the urn, 
destined sooner or later to come forth, and place us in the bark for an 
eternal exile." The urn here alluded to is that held by Necessity in 
the lower world. Some editions place a comma after urna, making it 
the nominative to versatur; and urna omnium will then signify " the urn 
containing the destinies of all." But the construction is too harsh ; and 
the caesura, which would then be requisite for lengthening the final syl- 
lable of urna, is of doubtful application for such a purpose. — 28. Cymbas. 
The dative, by a Grcecism, for the ablative cymba. 



Ode 4. Addressed to Xanthius Phoceus, a native probably of 
Greece. 

1 — 14. 1. Jlncilloz. The allusion here is perhaps to a slave taken 
in war. — 3. Serva Briseis. " Briseis, though a slave." The daughter 
of Brises or Briseus, made captive by Achilles when he took the city of 
Lyrnessus. (II. 2. G90.) She had been led, by her father, from Pedasus, 
her native pla-ce, to espouse Mynas, king of Lyrnessus. — 6. Tecmessce. 
To be pronounced Te-cmessce. Compare note on Ode 1. 10. 1. Tec- 
cmessa, the daughter of Teleutas, a Phrygian prince, was taken captive 
when the Greeks ravaged the countries in the neighbourhood of Troy. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE V. VI. 331 

She fell to the lot of Ajax, the son of Telamon, and became the mother 
of Eurysaces, who reigned in Salamis after his paternal grandfather. — 
7. Atrides. Agamemnon. — 8. Virgine rapta. Cassandra, violated by 
the Oilean Ajax, in the temple of Minerva. — 9. Barbara turm.ce. The 
Trojans and their allies. — 10. Thessalo victore. Achilles. — 11. Tnlli, a 
Graecism for ad tollendum. — 13. Nescias an. Equivalent to fortasse. — 
Beati parentes. " Noble parents." — 14. Flavce. " Golden-haired." — 
Decorenl. " May be an honour to." 

15 — 22. 15. Penates iniquos. "The offended Penates," i. e. themis- 
tortunes of her house. Alluding to her fall from high birth to slavery. 
— 17. De scelesta plebe. " From the worthless crowd." — 21. Teretassu- 
ras. The tunic came down a little below the knees before, and to the 
middle of the legs behind. That worn by slaves, however, was still 
shorter, and displayed the entire leg to the view. — 22. Integer. " Free 
from passion." — Fuge suspicari, &c. " Avoid being jealous of one whose 
age is hastening onward to bring its eighth lustrum to a close." A lus- 
trum was a period of five years, so that the poet must now have been 
in his fortieth year. The phrase claudere, or condere, lustrum, properly 
refers to the sacrifice called Suovetaurilia or Solitaurilia, which closed the 
census, the review of the people taking place every lustrum, or at the 
end of every five years. 



Ode 5. Addressed to Lalage. 

1 — 22. 1. Jugum. "The marriage yoke." — 2. Munia comparts. 
" The duties of a partner." — 5. Circa virentes est campos. " Is busied 
amid the grassy plains," i. e. is turned towards and wholly engrossed by 
them. — 10. Jam iibi lividos, &c. " Soon will changing Autumn tinge for 
thee the livid clusters with a purple hue." — 17. Dilecta. Understand 
tantuni. — 18. Albo sic humero nitens, &c. "Shining as brightly with her 
fair shoulder, as the unclouded moon upon the midnight sea." — 22. Mire 
sagaces hospites. "Even the most sagacious strangers." 



Ode S. The poet expresses a wish to spend the remainder of his 
days, along with his friend Septimius, either amid the groves of Tiber, 
or the fair fields of Tarentum. 

The individual to whom the ode is addressed was a member of the 
Equestrian order, and had fought in the same ranks with Horace during 
the civil contest. Hence the language of Porphyrion : " Septimium, 
equitem Romanum, amicum et commilitonem suum hac ode alloquitur." From 
the words of Horace (Epist. 1. 3. 9 — 14.) he appears to nave been also 
a votary of the Muses, and another scholiast remarks of him: " Titius 
Septimius lyrica carmina et tragcedias scripsit, Jlugusti tempore : sed libri 
ejus nulli extant." 

1 — 2. 1. Gades aditure rnecum. " Who art ready to go with me to 
Gades, (if requisite.)'''' We must not imagine that any actual departure, 
either for Gades or the other quarters mentioned in this stanza, was 
contemplated by the poet. The language of the text is to be taken 
merely as a general eulogium on the tried friendship of Septimus. As 



332 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE Til. 

respects Gades, compare Ode 2. 2. 1L — 2. Et Cantabrum indochim, &c. 
" And against the Cantabrian untaught as yet to endure our yoke." 
The Cantabri were a warlike nation of Spain, extending over what is 
at present Biscay and part of Jlsturias. Their resistance to the Roman 
arms was long, and stubborn, and hence the language of Horace in re- 
lation to them, Ode 3. 8. 22. " Cantaber sera domitus catena." Augus- 
tus marched against them A. U. C. 729, and during his confinement by 
sickness at Tarraco, they were defeated and reduced to partial subjec- 
tion by his lieutenant C. Antistius. (Compare Dio Cassius 53. 25.) In 
the following year they rebelled, the moment Augustus had retired from 
Spain, but the insurrection was speedily repressed (Dio Cass. 53. 29.) 
Their restless spirit, however, soon urged them on to fresh disorders, 
and after the lapse of a few years (A. U. C. 734.) those of them who 
had been sold into slavery, having slain their masters, returned home and 
induced many of their countrymen to revolt. They were subdued by 
Agrippa, but at the expense of many lives, (cruxvoi? anoBa'Xibv t&v arpaTiurSiv.) 
The punishment inflicted on them was consequently severe : nearly all 
of military age were put to death, and the rest of the nation, after being 
deprived of their arms, were compelled to remove from the mountainous 
country and settle in the plains. (Dio Cass. 54. 11.) The present ode 
appears to have been written previous to their final subjugation. 

3 — 11. 3. Barbaras Syrtes. " The barbarian Syrtes." Alluding to 
the two well-known gulfs on the Mediterranean coast of Africa, the Syrti3 
Major, or Gulf of Sidra, and the Syrtis Minor, or Gulf of Cubes. The 
term barbanis refers to the rude and uncivilized tribes in the vicinity. — 
Maura. By synecdoche for Jlfrica unda. — 5. Tibur, Jlrgeo positum colono. 
Compare note on Ode 1. 7. 13. — 7. Sit modus lasso, &c. "May it be a 
limit of wandering unto me, wearied out with the fatigues of ocean, land, 
and military service." The genitives maris, viarum, and militias, are put 
by a Graecism for ablatives. — 9. Parcoz iniquce. " The rigorous fates."— 
Prohibent. "Exclude me." — 10. Duke pellitis ovibus. " Pleasing to the 
sheep covered with skins." The sheep that fed along the banks of the 
Galesus, and the valley of Aulon, had a wool so fine that they were cover- 
ed with skins to protect their fleeces from injury. The same expedient 
was resorted to in the case of the Attic sheep. — 1 1. Laconi Phalanto. 
Alluding to the story of Phalantus and the Parthenii, who came as a colo- 
ny from Sparta to Tarentum, about 700, B. C. 

13 — 22. 13. Mihiridet. "Possesses charms for me." — 14. TJbi non 
Hymetto, &c. " Where the honey yields not to that of Hymettus, and 
the olive vies with the produce of the verdant Venafrum." — Hijmetto. 
Hymettus was a mountain in Attica, famed for its honey, which is still 
in high repute among the modern Greeks. It has two summits, one an- 
ciently called Hymettus, now Trelovouni; the other, Anydros, (or the dry 
Hymettus) now Lamprovouni. — 16. Venafro. Venafrum was the last city 
of Campania to the north, and near the river Vulturnus. It was celebra- 
ted for its olives and oil. The modern name is Venafro. — 17. Tepidasque 
brumas. " And mild winters." — 18. Jupiter. Taken for the climate ot 
the region, or the sky. — 19. Fertili. " Rich in the gifts of the vintage." 
The common text has fertilis. Aulon was a ridge and valley in the neigh- 
bourhood of Tarentum, and very productive. The modern name is Terra 
di Melone. The term aulon itself is of Greek origin (aihZiv,) and de- 
notes any narrow valley or pass. — 19. Minimum invidet. " Is far from 
envying," i. e. is not inferior to. — 24. Beatce colles. "Those delightful 
hills."— 22. Ibi tu calentem, &c. " There shalt thou sprinkle, with the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE Til. 333 

tear due to his memory, the warm ashes of the poet, thy friend." — 
Calentem. Alluding to their being still warm from the funeral pile. 



Ode 7. Addressed to Pompeius, a friend of the poet's, who had fought 
on the same side with him at the battle of Philippi. The poet returned to 
Rome, but Pompeius continued in arms, and was only restored to his na- 
tive country, when the peace concluded between the triumvirs and Sextus 
Pompey enabled the exiles and proscribed of the republican party to re- 
visit their homes. The bard indulges in the present effusion on the resto- 
ration of his friend. 

Who this friend was is far from being clearly ascertained. Most com- 
mentators make him to have been Pompeius Grosphus, a Roman knight, 
and freedman of Pompey the Great. If this opinion be correct, he will 
be the same with the individual to whom the sixteenth ode of the present 
book is inscribed, and who is also mentioned in Epist. 1. 12. 23. Vander- 
bourg, however, is in favour of Pompeius Varus. " Les MSS." observes 
this editor, " ne sont point d' accord sur les noras de cet ami de notre po^te. 
J'ai cru long temps avec Sanadon, et MM. Wetzel et Mitscherlich, devoir 
le confondre avec le Pompeius Grosphus de I' Ode 16 de ce livre, et de 
l'epitre 12. du liv. 1. Mais je pense aujourd'huiavec les anciens commenta- 
teurs, suivis en cela par Dacier et M. Voss, que Pompeius Varus 6toient 
ses nom et surnom v6ritables." 

1 — 8. 1. sape mecum, &c. The order of construction is as fol- 
lows : Pompei, prime meorum sodalium, sotpe deducte mecum in idtimum 
tempus, Bruto duct militia, quis redonavit te Quiritem diis patriis Italoque 
coelo ? — Tempus in idtimum deducte. " Involved in the greatest danger." 
3. Quis te redonavit Quiritem. " Who has restored thee as a Roman 
citizen ?" The name Quiritem here implies a full return to all the rights 
and privileges of citizenship, which had been forfeited by his bearing 
arms against the established authority of the triumvirate. — 6. Cum 
quo morantem, &c. " Along with whom I have often broken the linger- 
ing day with wine." Compare note on Ode 1. 1. 20. — 8. Malobathro 
Syrio. "With Syrian malobathrum." Pliny (H. JV. 12. 26.) mentions 
three kinds of malobathrum, the Syrian, ./Egyptian, and Indian, of which 
the last was the best. The Indian, being conveyed across the deserts 
of Syria by the caravan-trade to the Mediterranean coast, received from 
the Romans, in common with the first-mentioned species, the appella- 
tion of " Syrian." Some diversity of opinion, however, exists with 
regard to this production. Pliny describes it as follows : "Inpaludibus 
gigni tradunt lentismodo, odoratius croco, nigricans scabrumque, quodam salts 
gustu. Minus probatur candidum. Celerrime situm in vetustate sentit. 
Sapor ejus nardo similis debet esse sub lingua. Odor vero in vino snfferve- 
facti antecedit alios." Some have supposed it to be the same with the 
betle or betre, for an account of which consult De Maries Histoire Gene- 
rale de V hide, vol. 1. p. 69. Malte-Brun, however, thinks that it was 
probably a compound extract of a number of plants with odoriferous 
leaves, such as the laurel called in Malabar Famala, and the nymphea 
called Famara in Sanscrit ; the termination bathrwn being from patra, 
the Indian word for a leaf. (System of Geography, vol. 3. p. 33. Am. ed.) 
Weston's opinion is different. According to this writer the malobathrum 
is called in Persian sadedj hindi or sadedj of India, (Materia Medica Ka- 
hirina,p. 148. Forskal. 1775.) and the term is composed of two Arabic 



334 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE VII. 

words, melab-athra or esra, meaning an aromatic possessing wealth, or 
a valuable perfume. 

9 — 13. 9. Tecum Philippos sensi, &c. Compare "Life of Horace," 
page viii, of this volume. — Relictanon bene parmula. "My shield being 
ingloriously abandoned." — 11. Quum fracta virtus. "When valour 
itself was overcome." A manly and withal true eulogium on the spirit 
and bravery of the republican forces. The better troops were in reality 
on the side of Brutus and Cassius, although Fortune declared for Octa- 
vianus and Antony. — 12. Turpe. " Polluted with gore." — Solum teti- 
gere mento. Compare the Homeric form of expression, (II. 2. 41.) 
irprivhs iv Kovirimv Hal \aZ,olaro yatav. — 13. Mercurius. An imitation of 
the imagery of the Iliad. As in the battles of Homer heroes are often 
carried away by protecting deities from the dangers of the fight, so, on the 
present occasion, Mercury, who presided over arts and sciences, and 
especially over the music of the lyre, is made to befriend the poet, and to 
save him from the dangers ofthe conflict. Compare Ode 2. 17. 29. where 
Mercury is styled " custos Mercurialium virorum." 

14 — 23. 14. Densoaere. " In a thick cloud." Compare the Ho- 
meric form, q/pi 7roXX^. — 15. Terursus in helium, he. " Thee the wave 
of battle, again swallowing up, bore back to the war amid its foaming 
waters." — 17. Obligatam dapem. " Thy votive sacrifice," i. e. due to 
the fulfilment of thy vow." He had vowed a sacrifice to Jove in case 
he escaped the dangers of the war. — 20. Cadis. The Roman Cadus 
was equivalent to 48 sextarii, or 27 English quarts, It was of earthen 
ware. — 21. Oblivioso Massico. "With oblivious Mass'ic," i. e. care- 
dispelling. The Massic was the best growth among the Falernian 
wines. It was produced on the southern declivities of the range of hills 
in the neighbourhood of the ancient Sinnessa. A mountain near the 
site of Sinuessa is still called MGnte Massico. — 22. Ciboria. The cibo- 
rium was a large species of drinking cup, shaped like the follicule or pod 
of the Egyptian bean, which is the primitive meaning of the term. It 
was larger below than above. — 23. Conchis. Vases or receptacles for 
perfumes, shaped like shells. The term may here be rendered " shells." 
— 24. Apia. Compare note on Ode 1. 36. 16. 

25 — 27. 25. Q,uem Venus, &c. The ancients at their feasts ap- 
pointed a person to preside by throwing the dice, whom they called ar- 
biter bibendi, (avinrooidpxvs) "Master of the feast." He directed every 
thing at pleasure. In playing at games of chance they used three tes- 
serce, and four tali. The tesserce had six sides, marked I. II. III. IV. V. 
VI. The tali had four sides longwise, for the two ends were not re- 
garded. On one side was marked one point (unio, an ace, called Canis,) 
and on the opposite side six (Senio ;) while on the two other sides were 
three and four, (ternio et quaternio.) The highest or most fortunate 
throw was called Venus, and determined the direction of the feast. It 
was, of the tesserce, three sixes ; of the tcdi, when all of them came out 
different numbers. The worst or lowest throw was termed Canis, and 
was, of the tesserce, three aces ; and of the tali, when they were all the 
same. Compare Reitz, ad Lucian, Jim. — vol. 5. p. 568, ed. Bip. Sueton, 
Aug. 71. et Crusius ad loc. and the Dissertation u De Talis," quoted by 
Gesner, Thes. L. L. and by Bailey, in his edition of Forcelini, Lex. Tot. 
Lat. — 26. Non ego sanius, &c. "I will revel as wildly as the Thra- 
cians." The Edoni or Edones were a well-known Thracian tribe on 
the banks of the Strymon. Their name is often used by the Greek 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE VISI. IX. 335 

poets, to express the whole of the nation of which they formed a part : 
a custom which Horace here imitates. — 27. Recepto furere amico. " To 
indulge in extravagance on the recovery of a friend." 



Ode. 8. Addressed to an inconstant female. 

1 — 24. 1. Juris pejerati. " For thy perjury." It was the popular 
belief, that perjury was sure to bring with it all manner of bodily infir- 
mities, and sometimes even premature death. — 4. Turpior. " Less 
pleasing." — 7. Juvenum public a cura. "An object of admiration to all 
our youth." Literally " a common source of care on the part of our 
youths." — 9. Expedit matris cineres, &c. " It proves to thee a source of 
actual advantage, to deceive the ashes of thy mother that lie buried in 
the tomb." — Far from being injurious, the perjury of Barine, according 
to the poet, is decidedly favourable to her ; since she comes forth love- 
lier than ever after her violated faith, even though the oaths she has 
taken have been of the most binding character. — 10. Taciturna. "As 
they glide silently along." — 14. Simplices. "Good natured." — 18. Ser- 
vitus nova. "A new herd of slaves." — 19. Impim. Equivalent to per- 
jures. — 21. Juvencis. Put forjiliis. — 23. Retardetmaritos. "Alienate 
the affections of their husbands." — 24. Aura. "Attraction." 



Ode 9. Addressed to T. Valgius Rufus, inconsolable at the loss of 
his son Mystes, who had been taken from him by an untimely death. 
The bard counsels his friend to cease from his unavailing sorrow, and to 
sing with him the praises of Augustus. 

The individual to whom the ode is inscribed was himself a poet, and is 
mentioned by Tibullus (4. 1. 180.) in terms of high commendation: 
" Valgius ; ceterno propter non alter Homero." It is to the illusion of friend- 
ship, most probably, that we must ascribe this lofty eulogium, since Q,uin- 
tilian makes no mention whatever of the writer in question. Horace 
names him among those by whom he wishes his productions to be ap- 
proved. (Serin. 1. 10. 82.) 

1 — 7. 1. Non semper, &c. The expressions, semper, usque, and menses 
per omnes, in this and the succeeding stanza, convey a delicate reproof of 
the incessant sorrow in which the bereaved parent sounavailingly indulges. 
— Hispidos in agros. " On the rough fields." The epithet hispidus properly 
refers to the effect produced on the surface of the ground by the action 
of the descending rains. It approximates here very closely to the term 
squalidus. — 2. Ant mare caspium, &c. "Nor do varying blasts continual- 
ly disturb the Caspian Sea." According to Malte-Brun, the north and 
south winds, acquiring strength from the elevation of the shores of the 
Caspian, added to the facility of their motion along the surface of the 
water, exercise a powerful influence in varying the level at the opposite 
extremities. Hence the variations have a range of from four to eight feet, 
and powerful currents are generated both with" the rising and subsiding of 
the winds. (System of Geography, vol. 2. p. 313.) — 4. Armeniis in oris. 
" On the borders of Armenia." The allusion is to the northern confines. 
Armenia forms a veiy elevated plain, surrounded on all sides by lofty 
mountains, of which Ararat and Kohi-seiban are crowned with perpetual 
snow. The cold in the high districts of the country is so very intense as 



336 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE X. 

to leave only three months for the season of vegetation, including seed- 
time and harvest. Compare Malte-Brun, System of Geography, vol. 2. p. 
103. — 7. Qucrceta Gargani. " The oak-groves of Garganus." The chain 
of mount Garganus, now Monte S. Jingelo, runs along a part of the coast 
of Apulia, and finally terminates in the Promontorium Garganum, now 
Punta di Viesta, forming a bold projection into the Adriatic. 

9 — 10. 9. Tu semper urgues, &c. " And yet thou art ever in mournful 
etrains pressing close upon the footsteps of thy Mystes torn from thee by 
the hand of death." Urgues is here used as a more emphatic and impres- 
sive term than the common prosequeris. — 10. Nee tibi vespero, &.c. " Nor 
do thy affectionate sorrows cease when Vesper rises, nor when he flees 
from before the rapidly ascending sun." The phrase Vespero surgente 
marks the evening period, when Vesper (the planet Venus) appears to 
the east of the sun, and imparts its mild radiance after that luminary has 
set. On the other hand, the expression fugiente solem indicates the morn- 
ing, in allusion to that portion of the year, when the same planet appears 
to the west of the sun, and rises before him. The poet then means to 
designate the evening and morning, and to convey the idea lhat the sor- 
rows of Valgius admit of no cessation or repose, but continue unremitted 
throughout the night as well as day. The planet Venus, when it goes 
before the sun, is called, in strictness, Lucifer, or the morning star ; but 
when it follows the sun it is termed Hesperus or Vesper, and by us the 
evening star. 

13 — 23. 13. Ter cevo functus senex. " The aged warrior who lived three 
generations." Alluding to Nestor. Homer makes Nestor to have passed 
through two generations and to be ruling, at the time of the Trojan war, 
among a third. — 14. Jlntilochum. Antilochus,son of Nestor, was slain in de- 
fence of his father, byMemnon. (Horn. Od. 4. 188.) — 1 5. Troilum. Troilus, 
son of Priam, was slain by Achilles. (Virg. JEn. 1. 474.) — 16. Phrygice. 
Put for Trojance. — 17. Desine mollium, &c. "Cease then these un- 
manly complaints." Prose Latinity would require, in the place of this 
Grsecism, the ablative querelis or the infinitive queri. — 18. jfova Jlugusti 
tropoza. Alluding to the successful operations of Augustus with the 
Armenians and Parthians, and to the repulse of the Geloni, who had 
crossed the Danube and committed ravages in the Roman territories. — 20. 
Rigidum Niphaten. "The ice-clad Niphates." The ancient geographers 
gave the name of Niphates to a range of mountains in Armenia, forming 
part of the great chain of Taurus, and lying to the south-east of the Arsissa 
palus or Lake Van. Their summits are covered with snow throughout 
the whole year, and to this circumstance the name JNiphates contains an 
allusion (Ni<pdrr);, quasi vi<[>£.Tu>6ris, "snowy.") — 21. Medum flumen, &c. 
" And how the Parthian river, added to the list of conquered nations, rolls 
humbler waves." By the Parthian river is meant the Euphrates. The 
expression gentibus additum victis is equivalent merely to in populi Romani 
potestatem redactum. — 23. Intraque prcescriptum, istc. "And how the 
Geloni roam within the limits prescribed to them, along their diminished 

[)lains." The Geloni, a Sarmatian race, having crossed the Danube and 
aid waste the confines of the empire in that quarter, were attacked and 
driven across the river by Lentulus, the lieutenant of Augustus. Hence 
the use of the term prcvscriplum, in allusion to the Danube being inter- 
posed as a barrier by their conquerors, and hence, too, the check given to 
their inroads, which were generally made by them on horseback, is alluded 
to in the expression, exiguis equitare campis. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE X. XI. 337 

Ode 10. Addressed to Licinius Varro Murena, brother of Proculeius 
Varro Murena mentioned in the second Ode (v. 5.) of the present book. 
Of a restless and turbulent spirit, and constantly forming new schemes 
of ambition, Licinius was a total stranger to the pleasure inseparable 
from a life of moderation and content. It is the object of the poet, there- 
fore, to portray in vivid colours, the security and happiness ever atten- 
dant upon such a state of existence. 

The salutary advice of the bard proved, however, of no avail. Lici- 
nius had before this lost his all in the civil contest, and had been relieved 
by the noble generosity of Proculeius. Uninstructed by the experience 
of the past, he now engaged in a conspiracy against Augustus, and was 
banished and afterwards put to death, notwithstanding all the interest 
of Proculeius, and Maecenas, who had married his sister Terentia. 

1 — 21. 1. Rectins. "More consistently with reason." — Neque al- 
tum semper urguendo. "By neither always persuing the main ocean," 
i. e. by neither always launching out boldly into the deep. — 3. Nimium 
premendo litus iniquum. " By keeping too near the perilous shore." — ■ 
5. Auream quisquis mediocritatem, &c. The change of meaning in caret 
(which is required, however, more by the idiom of our own language 
than by that of the Latin,) is worthy of notice. The whole passage may 
be paraphrased as follows : " Whoever makes choice of the golden mean, 
safe from all the ills of poverty (tutus), is not compelled to dwell amid 
(caret) the wretchedness of some miserable abode j. while, on the other 
hand, moderate in his desires (sobrius), he needs not (caret) the splendid 
palace, the object of envy." — 9. Scepius. " More frequently" than trees 
of lower size. Some editions have smvius. — 10. Et celsce graviore casu, 
&c. " And lofty structures fall to the ground with heavier ruin," i. e. 
than humble ones. — 11. Summos montes. " The highest mountains." — 
14. Alteram sortem. " A change of condition." — Bene prozparatum pectus. 
" A well-regulated breast." — 15. Jnformes hiemes. " Gloomy winters." 
— 17. .Won si male nunc, &c. "If misfortune attend thee now, it will not 
also be thus hereafter." — IS. Quondam cithar a tacentem, &c. " Apollo 
oftentimes arouses with the lyre the silent muse, nor always bends his 
bow." The idea intended to be conveyed is, that, as misfortune is not 
to last forever, so neither are the gods unchanging in their anger towards 
man. Apollo stands forth as the representative of Olympus, propitious 
when he strikes the lyre, offended when he bends the bow. — 19. Susci- 
tat musam. Equivalent in fact to edit sonos, pulsa cithara. — The epithet 
tacentem refers merely to an interval of silence on the part of the muse, 
i. e. of anger on the part of the god. — 21. Animosus atquefortis. " Spi- 
rited and firm." 



Ode 11. Addressed to duintius, an individual of timid character, 
and constantly tormented with the anticipation of future evil to himself 
and his extensive possessions. The poet advises him to banish these 
gloomy thoughts from his mind, and give to hilarity the fleeting hours 
of a brief existence. 

1 — 23. 1. Quid lellicosus Cantab er, &c. Compare note on Ode 2.6. 
2. — 2. Hadria divisus objecto. "Separated from us by the intervening 
Adriatic. The poet does not mean that the foes here mentioned were 
in possession of the opposite shores of the Adriatic sea ; such a suppo- 
sition would be absurd. He merely intends to quiet the fears of Gtuin- 



338 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE XII. 

this by a general allusion to the obstacles that intervened. — 4. Nee tre- 
pides in usum, &c. " And be not solicitous about the wants of a life 
that asks but few things for its support." — 5. Fugit retro. For recedit. 
— 11. Quid cetemis minorem, &c. " Why dost thou disquiet thy mind, 
unable to take in eternal designs ?" i. e. to extend its vision beyond the 
bounds of human existence. — 14. Sic temere. "Thus at ease." — 15. 
Canos. Equivalent to albescentes. " Beginning to." — 17. Evius. Bac- 
chus. Compare note on Ode 1. 18. 9. — 19. Restinguetardenles,&.c. "Will 
temper the cups of fiery Falernian with the stream that glides by our 
side." The ancients generally drank their wine diluted with water, on 
account of its strength. — 23. In comtum Lacance, &.c. " Having her 
hair tied up in a graceful knot, after the fashion of a Spartan female." 



Ode 12. Addressed to Maecenas. The poet, having been requested 
by his patron to sing the exploits of Augustus, declines attempting so 
arduous a theme, and exhorts Maecenas himself to make them the sub- 
ject of an historical narrative. 

1 — 9. 1. Nolis. " Do not desire, I entreat." — Longaferm bellct Nu- 
mantioz. Numantia is celebrated in history for offering so long a re- 
sistance to the Roman arms. It was situate near the sources of the 
river Durius, (Douro) on a rising ground, and defended on three sides 
by very thick woods and steep declivities. One path alone led down 
into the plain, and this was guarded by ditches and palisades. It was 
taken and destroyed by the younger Africanus, subsequently to the 
overthrow of Carthage. — 2. Siculum mare. The scene of frequent and 
bloody conquests between the fleets of Rome and Carthage. — 3. Molli- 
bus citharce. modls. " To the soft measures of my lyre." — 5. Scevos. 
" Fierce." — Nimium. " Impelled to excess," i. e. to lewdness. Al- 
luding to Iris attempt on the person of Hippodamia. — 7. Telluris Juve- 
nes. "The warrior-sons of earth." Referring to the giants. Tnytviis- 
— 8. Pencidumcontremuit. " In trembling alarm apprehended danger." 
An active intransitive verb with the accusative. — 9. Pedestribus historiis. 
" In prose narrative." — 11. Melius. "With more success," i.e. than 
I can aspire to. — Vias. Referring to the streets of Rome, but in parti- 
cular to the Via Sacra, which led up to the capitol. 

13 — 28. 13. Licijmnice. Bentley thinks that by Licymnia is here 
meant Terentia, the wife of Maecenas. — Dominai. Equivalent here to 
amatm. — 15. Bene mutuis fidem amoribus. " Most faithful to recipro- 
cated love." — 17. Ferre pedem choris. " To join in the dance." — 18. 
Joco. " In sportive mirth." — Dare brachia. Alluding to the movements 
of the dance, when those engaged in it either throw their arms around, 
or extend their hands to, one another. — 19. Nitidis. " In fair array." 
— 21. Num. tu, qua tenuit, &c. "Canst thou feel inclined to give a 
single one of the tresses of Licymnia for all that the rich Achaemenes 
ever possessed," &c. Crine is put in the ablative as marking the in- 
strument of exchange. — Achamenes. The founder of the Persian mo- 
narchy, taken here to denote the opulence and power of the Kings of 
Persia in general. Achaemenes is supposed to be identical with Djem- 
schid. — 22. Aut pinguis Phrygice Mygdonias opes. " Or the Mygdonian 
treasures of fertile Phrygia," i. e. the treasures (rich produce) of Myg- 
donian Phrygia. The epithet Mygdonian is applied to Phrygia, either 
in allusion to the Mygdones, a Thracian tribe, who settled in this coun- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE XIII. 339 

try, or with reference to one of the ancient monarchs of the land. The 
former is probably the more correct opinion. — 25. Flagrantia. " Ar- 
dent." — 26. Facili. " Easy to be overcome." — 28. Interdum rape.re oc 
cupet. " Is sometimes herself the first to snatch one." 



Ode 13. The poet, having narrowly escaped destruction from the 
falling of a tree, indulges in strong and angry invectives against both the 
tree and the individual who planted and reared it. The subject naturally 
leads to serious reflections, and the bard sings of .the world of spirits to 
which he had been almost a visitant. 

1 — 11. 1. Hie et nefasto, &c. "O tree, whoever first planted thee, 
planted thee on an unlucky day, and with a sacrilegious hand reared thee 
for the ruin of posterity and the disgrace of my grounds." With quicun- 
que primum understand posuit te. Bentley reads Ilium 6 for Hie et, and 
places a semicolon after pagi- in the fourth line. The passage, as altered 
by him, will then be translated as follows: "For my part I believe that 
he, whoever first planted thee," &c. and then in the fifth line, "I say, I 
believe that he both made away with the life of his parent," kc— Nefasto 
die. Compare note on Ode 2. 3. 6. — 5. Crediderim. "For my part, I 
believe." The perfect subjunctive is here used with the force of a pre- 
sent, to express a softened assertion. — 6. Et penetralia, &c. "And 
sprinkled the inmost parts of his dwelling with the blood of a guest slain 
in the night-season." To violate the ties of hospitality waa ever deemed 
one of the greatest of crimes. — 8. Ille venena Colcha, &c. He was wont 
to handle Colchian poisons, and to perpetrate whatever wickedness ia 
any where conceived," &c. i. e. all imaginable wickedness. The zeugma 
in tractavit (which is here the aorist) is worthy of notice. — Venena Colcha. 
The name and skill of Medea gave celebrity, among the poets, to the 
poisons of Colchis. — 11. Triste lignum. "Unlucky tree." Lignum 
marks contempt. — Caducum equivalent here to cadentem, or casurum. 

13 — 18. 13. Quid quisquevitet, &c. "Man is never sufficiently aware of 
the danger that he has every moment to avoid." — 14. Bosporum. Allud- 
ing to the Thracian Bosporus, which was considered peculiarly dangerous 
by the early mariners on account of the Cyanean rocks at the entrance 
of the Euxine. — 17. Sagittas et celerem fit-gam Parthi. Compare note on 
Ode 1. 19. 11. — 18. Italumrobur. "An Italian prison." The term rob ur 
appears to allude particularly to the well-known prison at Rome called 
Tidlianmn. It was originally built by Ancus Martius, and afterwards 
enlarged by Servius Tullius, whence that part of it which was under 
ground, and built by him, received the name of Tidlianmn. Thus Varro 
(L. L. 4.) observes: "In hoc, pars qua: sub terra Tulliamtm, iieo quod ad- 
ditum a Tullio rege." The full expression is " Tullianum robur," from its 
walls having been originally of oak. In this prison, captive monarchs, 
after having been led through the streets of Rome in triumph, were con- 
fined, and either finally beheaded or starved to death. 

20 — 26. 20. Improvisa leti vis, &c. " The unforeseen attack of death 
has hurried off, and will continue to hurry off the nations of the world." 
— 21. Q,uam pane furvoz, &c. "How near were we to beholding the 
realms of sable Proserpina." — 22. Judicantem. "Dispensing justice." 
— 23. Sedesque discretas piorum, " The separate abodes of the pious," 
i. e. the abodes of the good separated from those of the wicked. The 
32 



340 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE XIV. 

allusion is to the Elysian fields. — 24. JEoliis fidibus qumrentem, &c. 
" Sappho, complaining on her iEolian lyre of the damsels of her native 
island." Sappho, the famous poetess, was born at Mitylene, in the 
island of Lesbos, and as she wrote in the iEolic dialect, which was that 
of her native island, Horace has designated her lyre by the epithet of 
" iEolian." — 26. Et te sonantem plenius aurco, &c. " And thee, Alcoeus, 
sounding forth in deeper strains, with thy golden quill, the hardships of 
ocean, the hardships of exile, the hardships of war." Alcseus, a native 
of Mitylene, in the island of Lesbos, was contemporary with Sappho, 
Pittacus, and Stesichorus, {Clinton's Fasti Hellenici. p. 5. 2d. ed.) and 
famed as well for his resistance to tyranny and his unsettled life, as 
for his lyric productions. Having aided Pittacus to deliver his country 
from the tyrants which oppressed it, he quarrelled with this friend, when 
the people of Mitylene had placed uncontrolled power in the hands of 
the latter, and some injurious verses which he composed against Pitta- 
cus, caused himself an*0 his adherents to be driven into exile. An en- 
deavour to return by force of arms proved unsuccessful, and Alcaeua 
fell into the power of his former friend, who, forgetting all that had past, 
generously granted him both life and freedom. In his odes Alcaeus 
treated of various topics. At one time he inveighed against tyrants : 
at another he deplored the misfortunes which had attended him, and the 
pains of exile : while, on other occasions, he celebrated the praises of 
Bacchus, and the goddess of Love. He wrote in the iEolic dialect. 

29 — 39. 29. Ulrumque sacro, &c. " The disembodied spirits listen 
with admiration to each, as they pour forth strains worthy of being heard 
in sacred silence." At the ancient sacred rites the most profound si- 
lence was required from all who stood around, both out of respect to the 
deity whom they were worshipping, as also lest some ill-omened ex- 

[>ression, casually uttered by any one of the crowd, should mar the so- 
emnities of the day. Hence the phrase "sacred silence," became even- 
tually equivalent to, and is here used generally as, "the deepest si- 
lence." — 30. Sed magis pugnas, &c. "But the gathering crowd, pressing 
with their shoulders to hear, drink in with more delight the narrative of 
conflicts and of tyrants driven from their thrones." The phrase " Mbit 
aure," (literally "drink in with the ear,") is remarkable for its lyric 
boldness. — 33. Mis carminibusstupens. "Lost in stupid astonishment 
at those strains." — 34. Demittit. "Hangs down." — Bellua centiceps. 
Cerberus. Hesiod assigns him only fifty heads, (Theog. 312. ) Sopho- 
cles styles him "Aiiov rpticpavov criciXaica. (Trach. 1114.) — 37. Quin et 
Prometheus, &c. "Both Prometheus, too, and the father of Pelops, are 
lulled by the sweet melody into a forgetfulness of their sufferings." 
Decipitur laborum is a Grascism. By Pelopis parens is meant Tantalus. 
— 39. Orion. Consult note on Ode 3. 4. 71. 



Ode 14. Addressed to a rich but avaricious friend, whom anxiety for 
the future debarred from every kind of present pleasure. The poet de- 
picts, in strong and earnest language, the shortness of life, the certainty 
of death, and thus strives to inculcate his favourite Epicurean maxim, 
that existence should be enjoyed while it lasts. 

1- — 27. 1. Fugaces labuntur anni. "Fleeting years glide swiftly 
by." — 3. Instanti. "Rapidly advancing." Pressing on apace. — 
5. Non si trecenis, &c. "No, my friend, it will purchase no delay, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE XV. 341 

even though thou strive to appease the inexorable Pluto with three hun- 
dred bulls for every day that passes ; Pluto, who confines, &c. — 7. Ter 
amplum Geryonen. " Geryon, monster of triple size." Alluding to the 
legend of Geryon slain by Hercules. — Tityon. Tityos, son of Terra, 
attempting to offer violence to Latona, was slain by the arrows of 
Apollo and Diana. — 9. Scilicet omnibus enaviganda. "That stream 
which must be traversed by us all." — 10. Terra munere. "The bounty 
of the earth." — Reges. Equivalent here to divites, a common usage 
with Horace. — 18. Cocytos. One of the fabled rivers of the lower 
world. — Danai genus infame. Alluding to the story of the Danaides. — 
19. Damnatus lotigi laboris. "Condemned to eternal toil." — 23. Invisas 
c.upressus. " The odious cypresses." The cypress is here said to be 
the only tree that will accompany its possessor to the grave, in allusion 
to the custom of placing cypresses around the funeral piles and the 
tombs of the departed. A branch of cypress was also placed at the 
door of the deceased, at least if he was a person of consequence, to 

F>revent the Pontifex Maximus from entering, and thereby being pol- 
uted. This tree was sacred to Pluto, because when once cut it never 
grows again. Its dark foliage also renders it peculiarly proper for a 
funereal tree. — 24. Brevem dominum. " Their short lived master." — 
25. Dignior. "More worthy of enjoying them." — 26. Servata centum 
clavibus. " Guarded beneath a hundred keys." Equivalent merely to 
diligentissime servata. — 27. Superbis pontificum potiore ccenis. "Superior 
fo that which is quaffed at the costly banquets of the pontiffs." The 
banquets of the pontiffs, and particularly of the Salii, were so splendid 
as to pass into a proverb. — Some editions read superbum, agreeing with 
pavimentum, and the phrase will then denote the tesselatea pavements 
of antiquity. 



Ode 15. The poet inveighs against the wanton and luxurious expen- 
diture of the age, and contrasts it with the strict frugality of earlier 
times. 

1 — 5. 1, Jam. "Soon." — Regim moles. "Palace- like structures." — 
3. Lucrino lacu. The Lucrine lake was in the vicinity of Baise, on the 
Campanian shore. It was, properly speaking, a part of the sea shut in 
by a dike thrown across a narrow inlet. The lake has entirely disap- 
peared, owing to a subterraneous eruption which took place in 1538, 
whereby the hill called Moute Nuovo was raised, and the water displa- 
ced. This lake was famed for its oysters and other shell fish. — Stagna. 
"Fish-ponds." Equivalent here to piscina. — Platanusque coelebs, &c. 
" And the barren plane-tree shall take the place of the elms." The 
plane tree was merely ornamental, whereas the elms were useful for 
rearing the vines. Hence the meaning of the poet is, that utility shall 
be made to yield to the mere gratification of the eye. The plane tree 
was never employed for rearing the vine and hence is called Coelebs, 
whereas the elm was chiefly used for this purpose. — 5. Violaria. " Beds 
of violets." — 6. Omnis copia narium. " All the riches of the smell," i. e. 
every fragrant flower. — 7. Spargent olivetis odor em. " Shall scatter their 
perfume along the olive ground," i. e. the olive shall be made to give 
place to the violet, the myrtle, and every sweet scented plant. 

9 — 20. 9. Fervidos ictus. Understand solis. — 10. Non ita Romuli, &lc. 
"Such is not the rule of conduct prescribed by the examples of Romulua 



342 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE XVI. 

and the unshorn Cato, and by the simple lives of our fathers." As regards 
the epithet intonsi, which is intended to designate the plain and austere 
manners of Cato, consult note Ode 1. 12.41. — 13. Privatus Wis, &c. 
" Their private fortunes were small, the public resources extensive." — 
14. Nulla decempedis, &c. "No portico, measured for private individu- 
als by rods ten feet in length, received the cool breezes of the North." 
The allusion is to a portico so large in size as to be measured by rods of 
these dimensions, as also to the custom, on the part of the Romans, of 
having those portions of their villas that were to be occupied in summer 
facing the north. The apartments intended for winter were turned 
toward the south, or some adjacent point. 17. — Nee fortuitum, &c. " Nor 
did the laws, while they ordered them to adorn their towns at the pub- 
lic charge, and the temples of the gods with new stone, permit them (in 
rearing their simple abodes) to reject the turf which chance might have 
thrown in their way." The meaning of the poet is simply this : private 
abodes in those days were plain and uncxpensive : the only ornamental 
structures were such as were erected for the purposes of the state or the 
worship of the gods. — 20. Novo saxo. The epithet novo merely refers 
to the circumstance of stone being in that early age anew (i. e. unusual) 
material for private abodes, and appropriated solely to edifices of a pub- 
lic nature. 



Ode 16. All men are anxious for a life of repose, but all do not 
pursue the true path for attaining this desirable end. It is to be found 
neither in the possession of riches, nor in the enjoyment of public ho- 
nours. The contented man is alone successful in the search, and the 
more so from his constantly remembering that perfect happiness is no 
where to be found on earth. — Such is a faint outline of this beautiful 
ode, and which proves, we trust, how totally unfounded is the criticism 
of Lord Kaimes, {Elements, vol. I. p. 37.) with reference to what he is 
pleased to consider its want of connection. 

1 — 15. 1. Otium. "For repose." — Impotenti. "Stormy." The com- 
mon text has inpatenti. — 2. Pressus. Understand periculo. The common 
reading is prensus. — Simul. For simul ac. — 3. Condidit Lunam. " Has 
shrouded the moon from view." — Certa. "With steady lustre." — 5. 
Thrace. The Greek nominative, epqicr), for Thracia. — 6. Med.i pharetra 
decori. " The Parthians adorned with the quiver." Compare note on Ode 
1.3. 51. — 7. Grosphe non gemmis, &c. In construing repeat the term otium. 
"R.epose, O Grosphus, not to be purchased by gems, nor by purple, nor by 
gold." — 9. Gaza. "The wealth of kings." Consularis lictor. "The 
hctor of the consul." Each consul was attended by twelve lictors. It 
was one of their duties to remove the crowd (ticrbam submovere) and clear 
the way for the magistrates whom they attended. — 11. Curas laqueata dr- 
awn, &c. " The cares that hover around the splendid ceilings of the great." 
Laqueata tecta is here rendered in general language. The phrase pro- 
perly refers to ceilings formed into raised work and hollows by beams 
cutting each other at right angles. The beams and the interstices (lacus) 
were adorned with rich carved work and with gilding or paintings. — 13. 
Vivitur parvo bene, &c. That man lives happily on scanty means, whose 
paternal salt-cellar glitters on his frugal board." In other words, that 
man is happy, who deviates not from the mode of life pursued by his 
forefathers, who retains their simple household furniture, and whose 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE XVII. 343 

dwelling is the abode not only of frugality but of cleanliness. Vivitur 
is taken impersonally ; understand illi. — 14. Salinum. The salinum, or 
salt-holder is here figuratively put for any household utensil. A family 
salt-cellar was always kept with great care. Salt itself was held in great 
veneration, and was particularly used at sacrifices. — 15. Cupido sordidus. 
" Sordid avarice." 

17 — 26. 17. Quid brevi fortes, &c. "Why do we, whose strength 
is of short duration, aim at many things? Why do we change our 
own, for lands warming beneath another sun? What exile from his 
country is an exile also from himself?" After mutamus understand nos- 
tra (scil. terra), the ablative denoting the instrument of exchange. — 19. 
Patrice quis exsul. Some commentators regard the expression patrice 
exsul as pleonastic, and connect patriae with the previous clause, placing 
after it a mark of interrogation, and making it an ellipsis for patrice sole. 
— 20. Be quoque fugit. Referring to the cares and anxieties of the mind. 
— 21. JEratas naves. " The brazen-beaked gallies." The ancient ships 
of war usually had their beaks covered with plates of brass. — Vitiosa 
cura. " Corroding care." — 23. Agente nimbos. " As it drives onward 
the tempests." — 25. Lcttus in prczsens, &c. " Let the mind that is con- 
tented with its present lot dislike disquieting itself about the events of the 
future." — 26. Lento Hsu. " With a placid smile." With a calm, philo- 
sophic smile. The common reading is Ictto. 

30—38. 30. Tithonum minuit. "Wasted away the powers of Titho- 
sms." — 32. Hora. "The changing fortune of the hour." — 34. Himiitum. 
The last syllable being cut off before apta by Synapheia and Ecthlipsis, 
ni becomes the last syllable of the verse, and may consequently be made 
short. — 35. Apia quadrigis. " Fit for the chariot." The poet merely 
wishes to express the generous properties of the animal. The ancients 
gave the preference in respect of swiftness to mares. — The term quadrigce 
properly denotes a chariot drawn by four horses, or mares. The Romans 
always yoked the animals that drew their race-chariots abreast. Nero 
drove a decemjugis at Olympia, but this was an unusual extravagance. 
— Bis Afro murice tinctee. Vestments twice dyed were called dibapha 
(&l6a<l>a.) The object of this process was to communicate to the garment 
what was deemed the most valuable purple, resembling the colour of 
clotted blood, and of a blackish, shining appearance. The purple of the 
ancients was obtained from the juice of a shell-fish called murex, and 
found at Tyre in Asia Minor ; in Meninx, an island near the Syrtis 
minor; on the Gastulian shore of the Atlantic ocean, in Africa, and at the 
Taenarian promontory in the Peloponnesus. — 37. Parva rura. Alluding 
to his Sabine farm. — 33. Spiritual Graicz, &c. " Some slight inspiration 
of the Grecian Muse," j. e. some little talent for lyric verse. 



Ode 17. Addressed to Maecenas, languishing under a protracted and 
painful malady, and expecting every moment a termination of his exis- 
tence. The poet seeks to call off the thoughts of his patron and friend 
from so painful a subject, and while he descants in strong and feeling 
language on the sincerity of his own attachment, and on his resolve to 
accompany him to the grave, he seeks at the same time to inspire him 
with brighter hopes and with the prospect of recovery from the hand of 
disease. 

The constitution of Maecenas, naturally weak, had been impaired by 



344 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE XVII. 

effeminacy and luxurious living. " He had laboured," observes Mr. 
Dunlop, "from his youth under a perpetual fever ; and for many years 
before his death he suffered much from watchfulness, which was greatly 
aggravated by his domestic chagrins. Maecenas was fond of life and 
enjoyment ; and of life even without enjoyment. He confesses, in some 
verses preserved by Seneca, that he would wish to live even under every 
accumulation of physical calamity. (Seneca. Epist. 101.) Hence he anx- 
iously resorted to different remedies for the cure or relief of this distressing 
malady. Wine, soft music sounding at a distance, and various other con- 
trivances, were tried in vain. At length Antonius Musa, the imperial 
physician, obtained for him some alleviation of his complaint by means of 
the distant murmuring of falling water. But all these resources at last 
failed. The nervous and feverish disorder with which he was afflicted in- 
creased so dreadfully, that for three years before his death he never clos- 
ed his eyes." (History of Roman Literature, vol. 3. p. 42. Lond. ed.) 

Whether this ode Was written shortly before his dissolution, or at 
some previous period cannot be ascertained, nor is it a point of much 
importance. 

1 — 14. 1. Qucerelis. Alluding to the complaints of Mascenas at the 
dreaded approach of death. Consult Introductory Remarks to this ode. 
— 3. Obire. Understand mortem, or diem supremum. — 5. Me<e partem 
unimce. " The one half of my existence." A fond expression of inti- 
mate friendship. — 6. Maturior vis. " Too early a blow," i. e. an un- 
timely death. — Q.uid moror altera, &c. " Why do I, the remaining por- 
tion, linger here behind, neither equally dear to myself, nor surviving 
entire?" — 8. Utramque ducet ruinam. "Will bring ruin to us each." 
— 10. Sacramentum. A figurative allusion to the oath taken by the Ro- 
man soldiers, the terms of which were, that they would be faithful to their 
commander, and follow wherever he led, were it even to death. — 11. 
Utcunque. Equivalent to quandocunque. — 14. Gyges. One of the giants 
that attempted to scale the heavens. He was hurled to Tartarus by the 
thunderbolts of Jove and there lay prostrate and in fetters. 

17 — 28. 17. Mspicit. " Presides over my existence." The refer- 
ence is here to judicial astrology, according to which pretended science, 
the stars that appeared above the horizon at the moment of one's birth, as 
well as their particular positions with reference to each other, were sup- 
posed to exercise a decided influence upon, and to regulate, the life of 
the individual. — 18. Pars violentior, &c. " The more dangerous portion 
of the natal hour." — 19. Capricornus. The rising and setting of Capri- 
cornus was usually attended with storms. Compare Propertius. 4. 1. 
107. Hence the epithet aquosus is sometimes applied to this constella- 
tion. In astrology, Libra was deemed favourable, while the influence 
of Scorpius and Capricornus was regarded as malign. — 20. Utrumque 
nostrum, &c. " Our respective horoscopes agree in a wonderful man- 
ner." The term horoscope is applied in astrology to the position of the 
stars at the moment of one's birth. Mitscherlich explains the idea of 
the poet as follows : " In quocunqiie Zodiaci sidere luyroscopus meus fuerit 
inventus, licet diverso a tui horoscopi sidere, tamen horoscopus meus cum tuo 
quam maxime consentiat necesse est." — 21. Impio Saturno. " From bale- 
ful Saturn." — 22. Rejulgens. " Shining in direct opposition." — 26. La- 
tum ter crepuit sonum. " Thrice raised the cry of joy." Acclamations 
raised by the people on account of the safety of Mascenas. Compare 
note on Ode 1. 20. 3. — 28. Sustulerat. For sustulisset. The indicative 
here imparts an air of liveliness to the representation, though in the con- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE XVIII. 345 

ditional clause the subjunctive is used. As regards the allusion of tho 
poet, compare Ode 2. 13. 



Ode 18. The poet, while he censures the luxury and profusion of the 
age, describes himself as contented with little, acceptable to many friends, 
and far happier than those who were blessed with the gifts of fortune 
but ignorant of the true mode of enjoying them. 

1 — 7. 1. Jlureum lacunar. "Fretted ceiling overlaid with gold." 
Compare note on Ode 2. 16. 11. — 3. Trabes Hymettice. "Beams of 
Hymettian marble." The term trabes here includes the architrave, 
frieze, cornice, &c. The marble of Hymettus was held in high estima- 
tion by the Romans. Some editions have Hymettias, and in the follow- 
ing line recisce, so that trabes recisa ultima Jifrica will refer to African 
marble, and Hymettias columnas to Hymettian wood ; but the wood of 
Hymettus does not appear to have been thought valuable by the Romans. 
• — Ultima recisas Jifrica. Alluding to the Numidian marble. The kind 
most highly prized had a dark, surface variegated with spots. — 6. JlttalL 
Attalus the 3d, famed for his immense riches, left the kingdom of Per- 
gamus and all his treasures by will to the Roman people ; at least, such 
was the construction which the latter put upon it. (Compare Duker, ad 
Flor. 2. 20.) After his death, Aristonicus, a natural son of Eumenes, 
father of Attalus, (Livy. 45. 19. Justin. 36. 4.) laid claim to the kingdom, 
but was defeated by the consul Perperna and carried to Rome, where 
he was put to death in prison. It is to him that the poet alludes under 
the appellation of h&res ignotus. — 7. Nee Laconicas mihi, &c. " Nor do 
female dependants, of no ignoble birth, spin for me the Spartan purple." 
The purple of Laconia, obtained in the vicinity of the Taenarian pro- 
montory, was the most highly prized. Compare note on Ode 2. 16. 35. 
— By honestaz clientee are meant female clients of free birth, and the 
epithet honestm serves to illustrate the high rank of the patron for whom 
they ply their labours. 

9 — 22 9. At fides et ingeni, &c. "But integrity is mine, and a liberal 
vein of talent." 13. Potentem amicum. Alluding to Maecenas. — 14. 
Satis beatus, &c. " Sufficiently happy with my Sabine farm alone." — 
15. Truditur dies die. The train of thought appears to be as follows . • 
Contented with my slender fortune, I am the less solicitous to enlarge 
it, when I reflect on the short span of human existence. How foolishly 
then do they act, who, when day is chasing day in rapid succession, are 
led on by their eager avarice, or their fondness for display, to form plans 
on the very brink of the grave. — 16. Pergunt interire. " Hasten on- 
ward to their wane." — 17. Tu secanda marmora, &c. " And yet thou, on 
the very brink of the grave, art bargaining to have marble cut for an 
abode." Directly opposed to locare, in this sense, is the verb redimere, 
" to contract to do anything," whence the term redemtor, "a contractor." 
— 20. Marisque Baiis, &c. Baiae, on the Campanian shore, was a fa- 
vourite residence of the Roman nobility, and adorned with beautiful 
villas. There were numerous warm springs also in its vicinity, which 
were considered to possess salutary properties for various disorders. — 
21. Summovere. " To push farther into the deep," i. e. to erect moles 
on which to build splendid structures amid the waters. — 22. Parum lo- 
cuples, &c. "Not rich enough with the shore of the main land," i. e. 
not satisfied with the limits of the land. 



346 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. ODE XIX. 

23 — 40. 23. Quid ? quod usque, &c. " What shall I say of this, that 
thou even removest the neighbouring land marks ?" i. e. Why need I 
tell of thy removing the land marks of thy neighbour's possessions. 
The allusion is to the rich man's encroaching on the grounds of an infe- 
rior. — 24. Ultra salts. " Leapest over." The verb salio is here used to 
express the contemptuous disregard of the powerful man for the rights 
of his dependants. Hence sails ultra may be freely rendered, " con- 
temnest." — 26. Avarus. " Prompted by cupidity." — 27. Ferens. "Bear- 
ing, each." — 28. Sordidos. " Squalid." In the habiliments of extreme 
poverty. — 29. Nulla certior tamen, &c. " And yet no home awaits the rich 
master with greater certainty than the destined limit of rapacious Orcus." 
Fine beautifully marks the last limit of our earthly career. Some edi- 
tions have sede instead of fine, and the use of the latter term in the fe- 
minine gender has been made probably the ground for the change. But 
finis is used in the feminine by some of the best writers. — 32. Quid ultra 
tendis ? " Why strivest thou for more ?" Death must overtake thee in 
the midst of thy course. — Jlequa tellus. " The impartial earth." — 34. 
Regumque pueris. The allusion is to the wealthy and powerful. — Sa- 
telles Orci. Alluding to Charon. — 35. Callidum Promethea. Alluding to 
some fabulous legend respecting Prometheus which has not come down 
to us. — 37. Tantali genus. Pelops, Atreus, Thyestes, Agamemnon, 
Orestes. — 40. Moratus. The common text has vocatus. 



Ode 19. Celebrating, in animated language, the praises of Bacchus, 
and imitated, very probably, from some Greek Dithyrambic Ode. There 
is nothing, however, in the piece itself, to countenance the opinion that 
it was composed for some festival in honour of Bacchus. 

1 — 18. 1. Carmina docentem. " Dictating strains," i. e. teaching how 
to celebrate his praises in song. Compare the Greek form of expression 
SiSdoicuv Spapa. As the strains mentioned in the text are supposed to have 
reference to the mysteries of the god, the scene is hence laid in remotis 
rupibus, " amid rocks far distant from the haunts of men." — 4. Acutas. 
" Attentively listening." Literally, " pricked up to listen." — 5. Evoe ! 
The poet now feels himself under the powerful influence of the god, 
and breaks forth into the well-known cry of the Bacchantes, when they 
celebrate the orgies. — Recenti mens trepidat metu, &c. " My mind trem- 
bles with recent dread, and, my bosom being filled with the inspiration 
of Bacchus, is agitated with troubled joy." Both trepidat and Icetatur 
refer to mens, and turbidum is to be construed as equivalent to turbide. 
The arrangement of the whole clause is purposely involve?, that the 
words may, by their order, yield a more marked echo to the sense. — 
Gravi metuende thyrso. Bacchus was thought to inspire with fury by 
hurling his thyrsus. — 9. Fas pervicaces, &c. "It is allowed me to sing 
of the the stubbornly-raging Bacchantes," i. e. my piety toward the god 
requires that I sing of, &c. — 10. Viniquefontem, &c. The poet enume- 
rates the gifts bestowed upon man in earlier ages, by the miraculous 
powers of the god. At his presence all nature rejoices, and, under his 
potent influence, the earth, struck by the thyrsi of the Bacchantes, yields 
wine and milk, while honey flows from the trees. The imagery is here 
decidedly Oriental, and must remind us of that employed in many parts 
of the sacred writings. — 12. Iterare. " To tell again and again of."- — 
14. Hmiorem. Equivalent to ornamentum or decus. The allusion is to 
the crown of Ariadne (corona borealis), one of the constellations, consist- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. ODE XX. 347 

ing of nine stars. The epithet beatce, applied to Ariadne, refers to her 
having been translated to the skies, and made one of the " blessed" 
immortals. — Penthei. Alluding to the legend of Pentheus, king of 
Thebes, who was torn in pieces by his own mother and her sisters, and 
his palace overthrown by Bacchus. — 16. Lycurgi. Lycurgus, king of 
the Edones in Thrace, punished for having driven the infant Bacchus 
from his kingdom. — 18. Tufiectisamnes, &c. " Thou turnest backward 
the courses of rivers, thou swayest the billows of the Indian sea." Al- 
luding to the wonders performed by Bacchus, in his fabled conquest of 
India and other regions of the east. The rivers here meant are the 
Orontes and Hydaspes. — 18. Tu seperatis, &c. " On the lonely moun- 
tain tops, moist with wine, thou confinest, without harm to them, the 
locks of the Bacchantes with a knot of vipers," i. e. under thy influence, 
the Bacchantes tie up their locks, Sec. — Bistonidum. Literally, " of the 
female Bistones." Here, however, equivalent to Baccharum. 

23 — 31. 23. Leonis unguibus. Bacchus was fabled to have assumed 
on this occasion the form of a lion. — 25. Quanquam chords, &c. 
" Though said to be fitter for dances and festive mirth." — 26. Non sat 
idoneus. " Not equally well-suited." — 27. Sed idem, &c. " Yet, on 
that occasion, thou, the same deity, didst become the arbiter of peace 
and of war." The poet means to convey the idea, that the intervention 
of Bacchus alone put an end to the conflict. Had not Bacchus lent his 
aid, the battle must have been longer in its duration, and different perhaps 
in its issue. — 29. Insons. " Without offering to harm." Bacchus de- 
scended to the shades for the purpose of bringing back his mother Se- 
mele. — Jlureocornu decorum. A figurative illustration of the power of 
the god. The horn was the well-known emblem of power among the 
ancients. — 31. Et recedentis trilingui, &c. The power of the god triumphs 
over the fierce guardian of the shades, who allows egress to none that 
have ouce entered the world of spirits. 



Ode 20. The bard presages his own immortality. Transformed into 
a swan, he will soar away from the abodes of men, nor need the empty 
honours of a tomb. 

1 — 23. 1 Ncn asitata, &a "A bard of twofold form, I shall be borne 
through the liquid air on no common, no feeble pinion." The epithet 
biformis alludes to his transformation from a human being to a swan, 
which is to take place on the approach of death. Then, becoming the 
favoured bird of Apollo, he will soar aloft on strong pinions beyond the 
reach of envy and detraction. — 4. Invidiaque major. " And, beyond the 
reach of envy." — 5. Pauperum sanguis parentum. " Though the offspring 
of humble parents." — 6. Jvo?i ego quern vocas, &c. " 1, whom thou salutest, 
O Maecenas, with the title of beloved friend, shall never die." The read- 
ing of this paragraph is much contested. According to that adopted in our 
text, the meaning of the poet is, that the friendship of Maecenas will be 
one of his surest passports to the praises of posterity. — Dilecte is taken, 
as the grammarians call it, materially. — 9. Jam jam residunt, &e. "Now, 
even now, the rough skin is settling on my legs." The transformation is 
already begun: my legs are becoming those of a swan. — 11. Supema. 
" Above." The neuter of the adjective used adverbially. Quod ad su- 
pema corporis membra atiinet. — Nascunturque leves plumce. " And the 
downy plumage is forming." — 14. Bospori. Consult note on Ode, 2, 



348 EXPLANATORY NOTES, BOOK III. ODE I. 

13. 14. — 15. Syrtesque Gcehda. Consult note on Ode, 1. 22. 4. — Canorus 
ales. " A bird of melodious note." Consult note on Ode, 1. 6. 2.— 16. 
Hyperboreosque campos. "And the Hyperborean fields," i.e. the far- 
thest plains of the north. — 17. Et qui dissimulat, &c. Alluding to the Par- 
thian. The Marsi were regarded as the bravest portion of the Roman 
armies, and hence Marscz is here equivalent to Romance, Consult note 
on Ode, 1. 2. 39.— 18. Dacus. Consult note on Ode, 1. 35. 9.— 19. Geloni. 
Consult note on Ode, 2. 9. 23. — Peritus Iber. " The learned Spaniard." 
The Spaniards imbibed a literary taste from the Romans, as these last 
had from the Greeks.— 20. Rhodanique potor. The native of Gaul. — 22. 
Turpes. "Unmanly." — 23. Sitpervaciios. The poet will need no tomb: 
death will never claim him for his own, since he is destined to live forever 
in the praises' of posterity. 



BOOK III. 



Ode 1. The general train of thought in this beautiful Ode is simply 
as follows : True happiness consists not in the possession of power, 
of public honours, or of extensive riches, but in a tranquil and contented 
mind. 

1 — 4. 1. Odi profanum vtdgus, &c. "I hate the uninitiated crowd, 
and I keep them at a distance." Speaking as the priest of the Muses, 
and being about to disclose their sacred mysteries (in other words, the 

}>recepts of true wisdom) to the favoured few, the poet imitates the form of 
anguage by which the uninitiated and profane were directed to retire from 
the mystic rites of the gods. The rules of a happy life cannot be com- 
prehended, and may be abused, by the crowd. — 2. Favele Unguis. "Pre- 
serve a religious silence." Literally, " favour me with your ears." We 
have here another form of words, by which silence and attention were en- 
joined on the true worshippers. This was required, not only from a prin- 
ciple of religious respect, but also lest some ill-omened expression might 
casually fall from those who were present, and mar the solemnities of 
the occasion. — Carmina non p'ius audita. " Strains before unheard." 
There appears to be even here an allusion to the language and forms of 
the mysteries in which new and important truths were promised to be dis- 
closed. — 4. Virginibus puerisque canto. The poet supposes himself to be 
dictating his strains to a chorus of virgins and youths. Stripped of its 
figurative garb, the idea intended to be conveyed will be simply this ; that 
the bard wishes his precepts of a happy life to be carefully treasured up by 
the young. 

5—14. 5. Regwn timendorum, &c. The poet now unfolds his subject. 
Kings, he observes, are elevated far above the ordinary ranks of men, but 
Jove is mightier than Kings themselves, and can in art instant humble 
their power in the dust. Royalty, therefore, carries with it no peculiar 
claims to the enjoyment of happiness. — In ■proprios greges. " Over their 
own flocks." Kings are the shepherds of their people. — 8. Cuncta super- 
cilio moventis. " Who shakes the universe with his nod." Compare 
Homer, 11. 1. 528. — 9. Est ut viro vir, &c. " It happens that one man 
arranges his trees at greater distances in the trenches than another," i. e. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE I. 349 

possesses wider domains. The Romans were accustomed to plant their 
vines, olive-trees, &c, in trenches or small pits. Some editions have 
Esto for Est : " Grant that one man," &c, or "Suppose that." — 10. Hie 
generosior descendat, &c. "That this one descends into the Campus Mar- 
tius a nobler applicant for office." — 12. Moribus hie mellorque J'ama, &c. 
Alluding to the novus homo, or man of ignoble birth. — 14. Mqua lege 
Necessitas, &c. "Still, Necessity, by an impartial law, determines the 
lots of the high and the lowly ; the capacious urn keeps in constant agita- 
tion the names of all." Necessity is here represented holding her capa- 
cious urn containing the names of all. She keeps the urn in constant 
agitation, and the lots that fly from it every instant are the signals of death 
to the individuals whose names are inscribed on them. — The train of 
thought, commencing with the third stanza, is as follows : Neither ex- 
tensive possessions, nor elevated birth, nor purity of character, nor crowds 
of dependants, are in themselves sufficient to procure lasting felicity, since 
death sooner or later must close the scene, and bring all our schemes of 
interest and ambition to an end. 

17 — 31. 17. Districtus ensis. An allusion to the well-known story 
of Damocles. The connection in the train of ideas between this and 
the preceding stanza, is as follows : Independently of the stern necessity 
of death, the wealthy and the .powerful are prevented by the cares of 
riches and ambition from attaining to the happiness which they seek. — 
18. JYW Siculce dapes, &c. " The most exquisite viands will create no 
pleasing relish in him, over whose impious neck," &c. The expression 
Sicula dapes is equivalent here to exquisitissinue epulaz. The luxury of 
the Sicilians in their banquets became proverbial. — 20. Avium citharce- 
que cantus. " The melody of birds and of the lyre." — 24. Non Zephyris 
agitata Tempt. " She disdains not Tempe, fanned by the breezes of the 
west." Tempe is here put for any beautiful and shady vale. Consult 
note on Ode 1. 7. 4. — 25. Desiderantem quod satis est, &c. According 
to the poet, the man " who desires merely what is sufficient for his 
wants," is free from all the cares that bring disquiet to those who are ei- 
ther already wealthy, or are eager in the pursuit of gain. His repose is 
neither disturbed by shipwrecks, nor by losses in agricultural pursuits. — 
Arcturi. Arcturus is a star of the first magnitude, in the constellation 
of Bootes, near the tail of the Great Bear, (&pkto;, ohpd.) Both its rising 
and setting were accompanied by storms. — 28. Hcadi. The singular 
for the plural. The hcedi, or kids, are two stars on the arm of Auriga. 
Their rising is attended by stormy weather, as is also their setting. — 
— 30. Mendax. " Which disappoints his expectations." — Aquas. "The 
excessive rains." — 31. Torremlia agros sidera. " The influence of the 
stars parching the fields." Alluding particularly to Sirius, or the dog- 
star, at the rising of which the trees were apt to contract a kind of 
blight, or blast/termed sideratio, and occasioned by the excessive heat 
of the sun. 

33 — 47. 33. Contracta pisces, &c. In order to prove how little the 
mere possession of riches can administer to happiness, the poet now 
adverts to the various expedients practised by the wealthy, for the pur- 
pose of banishing disquiet from their breasts, and of removing the sated 
feelings that continually oppressed them. They erect the splendid villa 
amid the waters of the ocean, but fear, and the threats of conscience, 
become also its inmates. They journey to foreign climes, but gloomy 
care accompanies them by sea and by land. They array themselves in 
the costly purple, but it only hides an aching heart; nor can the wine of 



350 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EOOK III. ODE II. 

Falernus, or the perfumes of the East, bring repose and pleasure to their 
minds. Why then, exclaims the bard, shall I exchange my life of simple 
happiness for the splendid but deceitful pageantry of the rich? — 34. Jactis 
in altum molibus. " By the moles built out into the deep." Consult note 
on Ode 2. 18. 20. — Frequens redemtor cum fcmiulis. " Many a contractor 
with his attendant workmen." Consult note on Ode 2. 18. 18. — 35. 
Ccementa. By ccementa are here meant rough and broken stones, as they 
come from the quarry, used for the purpose of filling up, and of no great 
size. — 36. Terra fastidiosus. " Loathing the land," i. e. disdaining 
the limits of the land. Compare Ode 2. 18. 22. Parum locuples conti- 
nente ripa. — 37, Timor et Mince. " Fear and the threats of conscience." 
— 41. Phrygius lapis. Referring to the marble of Synnada, in Phrygia, 
which was held in high estimation by the Romans. It was of a white 
colour, variegated with purple spots. — 42. Purpurarumsidereclariorums. 
" The use of purple coverings, brighter than any star." With purpura- 
rum supply vestium et stragularum, and construe clarior as if agreeing 
with them in case. — 43. Falerna vitis. Consult note on Ode 1. 20. 9. — ■ 
44. Aclmmeniumve costum. " Or Eastern nard." Jlchctmenium is equi- 
valent literally to Persicum (i. e. Parthicum). Consult notes on Ode 2. 
12. 21. and 1. 2. 22. — 45. Invidendis. "Only calculated to excite the 
envy of others." — Novo ritu. " In a new style of magnificence." — 47. 
Cur valle permutem Sabina. "Why shall I exchange my Sabine vale for 
more troublesome riches," i. e. for riches that only bring with them a 
proportionate increase of care and trouble. Valle, as marking the in- 
strument of exchange, is put in the ablative. 



Ode 2. The poet exhorts his luxurious countrymen to restore the 
strict discipline of former days, and train up the young to an acquaint- 
ance with the manly virtues which once graced the Roman name. 

1 — 17 1. Jlugustam amice, kc. "Let the Roman youth, robust of 
frame, learn cheerfully to endure, amid severe military service, the hard 
privations of a soldier's life." The expression amice pati is somewhat 
analogous to the Greek ayanriT&s <pipav. The common text has amici. — 
5. Sub divo. "In the open air," i. e. in the field. — Trepidis in rebus. 
"When danger threatens his country." The poet means, that, when 
his country calls, the young soldier is to obey the summons with ala- 
crity, and to shrink from no exposure to the elements. — 7. Matrona bel- 
lantis tyranni. " The consort of some warring monarch." Bellantis is 
here equivalent to cum Populo Romano bellum gerentis. — 8. Et adulta 
virgo. " And his virgin daughter, of nubile years." — 9. Suspiret, eheu ! 
ne rudis agminum, &c. " Heave a sigh, and say, Ah ! let not the prince, 
affianced to our line, unexperienced as he is in arms, provoke," &c. 
By sponsus regius is here meant a young lover of royal origin, betrothed 
to the daughter. — 13. Dulce et decorum, &c. Connect the train of ideas 
as follows : Bravely then let the Roman warrior contend against the foe, 
remembering that, "it is sweet and glorious to die for one's country." — 
17. Virtus repulscz nescia, &c. The Roman youth must not, however, 
confine his attention to martial prowess alone. He must also seek after 
true virtue, and the firm precepts of true philosophy. When he has 
succeeded in this, his will be a moral magistracy, that lies not in the 
gift of the crowd, and in aiming at which he will never experience a dis- 
graceful repulse. His will be a feeling of moral worth, which, as it de- 
pends not on the breath of popular favour, can neither be given nor taken 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE III. 351 

away by the fickle multitude. — Secures. A figurative allusion to the 
axes and fasces of the lictors, the emblems of office." 

21- -21. Virtus recludens, &c. The poet mentions another incitement 
to the possession of true virtue, the immortality which it confers. — 22. 
Negata via. " By a way denied to others," i. e. by means peculiarly 
her own. — 23. Coetusque vulgares, &c. " And, soaring on rapid pinion, 
spurns the vulgar herd and the cloudy atmosphere of earth." — 25. Estet 
fideli, &c. Thus far the allusion to virtue has been general in its nature. 
It now assumes a more special character. Let the Roman youth learn 
in particular the sure reward attendant on good faith, and the certain 
punishment that follows its violation. — 26. Qui Cereris sacrum, &c. 
Those who divulged the Mysteries were punished with death, and their 
property was confiscated. — 30. Incesto addidit integrum. "Involves the 
innocent with the guilty." — 31. RaroJlntecedentemscelestum,8z.c. "Rarely 
does punishment, though lame of foot, fail to overtake the wicked man 
moving on before her," i. e. justice though often slow is sure. 



Ode 3. The ode opens with the praises of justice and persevering 
firmness. Their recompense is immortality. Of the truth of this remark 
splendid examples are cited, and, among others, mention being made of 
Romulus, the poet dwells on the circumstances which, to the eye of 
imagination, attended his apotheosis. The gods are assembled in solemn 
conclave to decide upon his admission to the skies. Juno, most hostile 
before to the line of iEneas, now declares her assent. Satisfied with past 
triumphs, she allows the founder of the eternal city to participate in the 
ioys of Olympus. The lofty destinies of Rome are also shadowed forth, 
and the conquest of nations is promised to her arms. But the condition 
which accompanies this expression of her will is sternly mentioned. The 
city of Troy must never rise from its ashes. Should the descendants of 
Romulus rebuild the detested city, the vengeance of the goddess will 
again be exerted for its downfall. 

It is a conjecture of Faber's (Epist. 2. 43.) that Horace wishes, in the 
present ode, to dissuade Augustus from executing a plan he had at this 
time in view, of transferring the seat of empire from Rome to Ilium, and 
of rebuilding the city of Priam. Suetonius ( Fit. lid.) speaks of a similar 
project in the time of Cassar. Zosimus, also, states that, in a later age, 
Constantine actually commenced building a new capital in the plain of 
Troy, but was soon induced by the superior situation of Byzantium to 
abandon his project. (Zos. 2. 30.) 

1 — 22. 1. Justum et tenacem, &c. "Not the wild fury of his fellow- 
citizens ordering evil measures to be pursued, not the look of the threat- 
ening tyrant, nor the southern blast, the stormy ruler of the restless 
Adriatic, nor the mighty hand of Jove wielding his thunderbolts, shakes 
from his settled purpose the man who is just and firm in his resolve." In 
this noble stanza, that firmness alone is praised which rests on the basis 
of integrity and justice. — 7. Si fr actus illabatur orbis, &c. "If the shat- 
tered heavens descend upon him, the ruins will strike him remaining a 
stranger to fear." — 9. Htc arte. "By this rule of conduct," i. e. by inte- 
grity and firmness of purpose. — Vagus Hercules. "The roaming Her- 
cules." — 12. Purpurea ore. Referring either to the dark-red colour of 
the nectar, or to the Roman custom of adorning on solemn occasions, 
each as triumphs, &c. the faces of the gods with vermilion. — 13. Hoc 
33 



352 EXPLANTORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE III. 

merentem. "For this deserving immortality."— 14. Vexere. "Bore thee to 
the skies." Bacchus is represented by the ancient fabnlist3, as returning 
in triumph from the conquest of India and the East in a chariot drawn by 
tigers. He is now described as having ascended in this same way to the 
skies by a singular species of apotheosis.— 16. Marlis equis, &c. Ob- 
serve the elegant variety of diction in the phrases, arces attigit igneas ; 
quos inter Augustus recumbens ; vexere tigrcs; and Acheronta fugit, all 
expressive of the same idea, the attaining of immortality. — 17. Gratum 
elocutu, &c. "After Juno had uttered what was pleasing to the gods 
deliberating in council." — 18. Won, Won, &c. An abrupt but beautiful 
commencement, intended to portray the exulting feelings of the triumphant 
Juno. The order of construction is as follows : Judex fatalis incestusque, 
et mulier peregrina, vertil in pulverem Won, Won, damnatum mihi castaqiie 
Minerva, cum populo et fraudulento duce, ex quo Laomedon destituit deos 
pacta mercede. — 19. Fatalis incestus que judex, &.C. "A judge, the fated 
author of his country's ruin, and impure in his desires, and a female from 
a foreign land." Alluding to Paris and Helen, and the apple of discord. 
— 21. Destiluit deos, &c. " Defrauded the gods of their stipulated re- 
ward." Alluding to the fable of Laomedon's having refused to Apollo 
and Neptune their promised recompense for building the walls of Troy. 
— 22. Mihi castceque damnatum Minerva. " Consigned for punishment to 
me and the spotless Minerva." Condemned by the gods, and given over 
to these two deities for punishment. The idea is borrowed from the 
Roman law by which an insolvent debtor was delivered over into the 
power of his creditors. 

25 — 48. 25. Lacamce splendet adidtercc. " Displays his gaudy person 
to the Spartan adulteress." — 29. Nostris ductum seditionibus. " Protracted 
by our dissentions." — 31. Invisum nepolem. Romulus, grand son to 
Juno through his father Mars. — Troia sacerdos. Ilia. — 34. Discere. 
"To learn to know." The common text has ducere, "to quaff." — 
37. Dum longus inter, &c. " Provided a long tract of ocean rage be- 
tween Ilium and Rome." Provided Rome be separated from the plain 
of Troy by a wide expanse of intervening wat&rs, and the Romans re- 
build not the city of their forefathers. Consult Introductory Remarks. 
— 38. Exules. The Romans are here meant, in accordance with the 
popular belief that they w r ere the descendants of iEneas and the Tro- 
jans, and exiles consequently from the land of Troy, the abode of their 
forefathers. — 39. Qualibet in parte. " In whatever other quarter it may 
please them to dwell." — 40. Busto insultet. "Trample upon the tomb." 
— 42. Celent. " Conceal therein." — 43. Fulgens. "In all its splendour." 
— 44. Dare jura. "To give laws." — 45. Horrenda. "An object of 
dread." — 46. Medius liquor. "The intervening waters." — 48. Arva. 
Understand Aegypti. 

49 — 70. 49. Aurum irrepertum. " The gold of the mine." Irreper- 
tum is here to be taken as a general epithet of aurum. The common 
translation, "as yet undiscovered," involves an absurdity. — 51. Quam 
cogere, &c. " Than in bending it to human purposes, with a right hand 
plundering every thing of a sacred character." The expression omne 
sacrum rapiente dextra is only another definition for boundless cupidity, 
which respects not even the most sacred objects. Among these objects 

fold is enumerated, and with singular felicity. It should be held sacred 
y man, it should be allowed to repose untouched in the mine, consi- 
dering the dreadful evils that invariably accompany its use. — 53. Qwt- 
cunque mundo, &c. " Whatever limit bounds the world." — 54. Visere 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE IV. 353 

gcstiens, &c. " Eagerly desiring to visit that quarter, where the fires of 
the sun rage with uncontrolled fury, and that, where mists and rains 
exercise a continual sway." We have endeavoured to express the 
zeugma in debacchentur, without losing sight at the same time of the 
peculiar force and beauty of the term. The allusion is to the torrid and 
frigid zones. Supply the ellipsis in the text as follows : visere earn par- 
tem qua parte, &c. — Hac lege. " On this condition." — Nimium pii. The 
piety here alluded to is that, which, according to ancient ideas, was due 
from a colony to its parent city. — 61. Mite lugubri. " Under evil aus- 
pices. — 62. Fortuna. " The evil fortune." — 65. Mumsaeneus. "A brazen 
wall," i. e. the strongest of ramparts. — 66. Jluctore. Equivalent to 
conditore. — 70. Desine pervicax, &c. " Cease boldly to relate the dis- 
courses of the gods, and to degrade lofty themes by lowly measures." 



Ode 4. The object of the poet, in this ode, is to celebrate the praises 
of Augustus for his fostering patronage of letters. The piece opens 
with an invocation to the Muse. To this succeeds an enumeration of 
the benefits conferred on the bard, from his earliest years, by the deities 
of Helicon ; under whose protecting influence, no evil, he asserts, can 
ever approach him. The name of Augustus is then introduced. If 
the humble poet is defended from harm by the daughters of Mnemosyne, 
much more will the exalted Cassar experience their favouring aid ; and 
he will also give to the world an illustrious example, of the beneficial 
effects resulting from power when controlled and regulated by wisdom 
and moderation. 

1 — 20. 1. Die longum melos. " Give utterance to a long melodious 
strain." — Regina. A general term of honour, unless we refer it to He- 
siod, Theog. 79. where Calliope is described as Trpo<j<ptptardT^ airaciwv 
(Movadwv.) — 3. Voce acuta. " With clear and tuneful accents." — 4. Fi- 
dibus citharaque. For fidibus citharcB. "On the strings of Apollo's 
lyre." — 5. Jluditis? "Do you hear her?" The poet fancies that the 
Muse, having heard his invocation, has descended from the skies, and 
is pouring forth a melodious strain. Hence the question, put to those 
who are supposed to be standing around, whether they also hear the 
accents of the goddess. Fea, one of the modern commentators on Ho- 
race, gives on conjecture Audiris ? in the sense of " Are you heard by 
me ?" " Do you answer my invocation ?" — Amabilis insania. " A fond 
enthusiasm." — 7. JLmoenoz quos et, &c. A beautiful zeugma. "Through 
which the pleasing waters glide and refreshing breezes blow." — 9. Fa- 
bulosce. "Celebrated in fable." — Volture. Mount Voltur, now Monte 
Vulture, was situated in the neighbourhood of Venusia, the poet's na- 
tive place. — 10. Nutricis Jipulice. "Of my native Apulia." — 11. Ludo 
fatigatumque som.no. " Wearied with play and oppressed with sleep." 
— 13. Mirum quod foret, &c. " Which might well be a source of won- 
der, &c." — 14. Celsaz nidum Jlcherontice. " The nest of the lofty Ache- 
rontia." Acherontia, now Jlcerenza, was situated on a hill difficult of 
access, south of Forentum, in Apulia. Its lofty situation gains for it 
from the poet the beautiful epithet of nidum. — 15. Saltusque Bantinos. 
Bantia, a town of Apulia, lay to the south-east of Venusia. — 16. Forenli. 
Forentum, now Forenza, lay about eight miles south of Venusia, and 
on the other side of mount Vultur. The epithet humilis, "lowly," has 
reference to its situation near the base of the mountain. — 20. Non sine 
dis animosus. " Deriving courage from the manifest protection of the 
gods," The deities here alluded to are the Muses. 



354 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. IV. 

21 — 36. 21. Vester, Camoence. " Under your protection, ye Muses." 
— 21. Jlrduos Sabinos. " The lofty country of the Sabines." Alluding 
to the situation of his farm in the mountainous territory of the Sabines. 
— 23. Pmneste. Prceneste, now Palceslrina, was situate about twenty- three 
miles from Rome, in a south-east direction. The epithet frigidum, in 
the text, alludes to the coolness of its temperature. — Tibur supinum. 
"The sloping Tibur." This place was situated on the slope of a hill. 
Consult note on Ode, 1.7. 13. — 24. Liquidx BaicR. " Baise with its 
waters." Consult note on Ode, 2. 18. 20. — 26. Philippis versa acics retro. 
"The army routed at Philippi." Consult "Life of Horace," p. viii. 
Philippi was situate in Thrace, near the gold and silver mines of Mount 
Pangajus. It received its name from Philip of Macedon, who founded 
this city on the site of the old Thasian colony of Crenides. Here were 
fought the celebrated conflicts, two in number, which resulted in the de- 
feat of Brutus and Cassius. The interval between the two battles was 
about twenty days.— 27. Devota arbor. " The accursed tree." Consult 
Ode, 2. 13. — 23. Palinurus. A promontory on the coast of Lucania, 
now Capo di Palinuro. Tradition ascribed the name to Palinurus, the 
pilot of jEneas. (Virgil, JEn. 6. 380.) It was noted for shipwrecks. — 
29. Utcunque. Put for quandocunque. — 30. Bosporum. Consult note on 
Ode, 2. 13. 14. — 32. Littoris Jissyrii. The epithet Assyrii is here equi- 
valent to Syriii. The name Syria itself, which has been transmitted to 
us by the Greeks, is a corruption or abridgment of Assyria, and was 
first adopted by the Ionians who frequented these coasts after the Assy- 
rians of Nineveh had made this country a part of their empire. The 
allusion in the text appears to be to the more inland deserts, the Syria 
Palmrjrencz solitudines of Pliny, H. JV. 5. 24. — 33. Britannos hospitibus 
feros. Acron, in his scholia on this ode, informs us that the Britons 
were said to sacrifice strangers. — 34. Concanum. The Concani were a 
Cantabrian tribe in Spain. As a proof of their ferocity the poet men- 
tions their drinking the blood of horses intermixed with their liquor. — 
35. Gelonos. Consult note on Ode, 2. 9. 23.-36. Scythicum amnem. The 
Tanais, or Don. 

38 — 64. 33. Fessas cohortes abdidit oppidis. Alluding to the military 
colonies planted by Augustus, at the close of the civil wars. Some edi- 
tions have redidit for abdidit, which will then refer merely to the disband- 
ing of his forces. — 40. Pierio antro, a figurative allusion to the charms 
of literary leisure. Pieria, originally a part of Thrace, formed subse- 
quently the northern part of Macedonia, on the eastern side. It was 
fabled to have been the first seat of the Muses. — 41. Vos lene consilium, 
&c. " You, ye benign deities, both inspire Caesar with peaceful counsels, 
and rejoice in having done so." A complimentary allusion to the mild 
and liberal policy of Augustus, and his patronage of letters and the 
arts. — In reading metrically consilium et must be pronounced consil-yet. — 
44. Fulmine sustulerit caduco. " Swept away with his descending thun- 
derbolt." Some editions read corusco, " gleaming," for caduco. — 50. Fi- 
dens brackiis. " Proudly trusting in their might." Proudly relying on 
the strength of their arms. — 51. Fratres. Otus and Ephialtes. The al- 
lusion is now to the giants, who attempted to scale the heavens. — 52. 
Pelion. Mount Pelion in Thessaly. — Olympo. Olympus, on the coast 
of northern Thessaly, separated from Ossa by the vale of Tempe. — 53. 
Sed quid Typhoeus, &c. The mightiest of the giants are here enume- 
rated. The Titans and giants are frequently confounded by the ancient 
writers. — 58. Hinc avidus stetit, &c. " In this quarter stood Vulcan, 
burning for the fight ; in that, Juno, with all a matron's dignity." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE V. 355 

The term matrona, analagous here to mrvta, and intended to designate 
the majesty and dignity of the queen of heaven, conveyed a much 
stronger idea to aRoman than to a modern ear. — 61. Rorepuro Castaliw. 
" In the limpid waters of Castalia." The Castalian fount, on Parnassus, 
was sacred to Apollo. — 63. Lycia dameta. " The thickets of Lycia." — 
63. Natalem silvam. "His natal wood," on Mount Cynthus, in the 
island of Delos. — 64. Delius et Patareus Jlpollo. " Apollo, god of Delos 
and of Patara." The city of Patara, in Lycia, was situate on the 
southern coast, below the mouth of the Xanthus. It was celebrated 
for an oracle of Apollo, and that deity was said to reside here during 
six months of the year, and during the remaining six at Delos. (Virg. 
Aen. 4. 143. — Serv. ad loc.) 

65 — 79. 65. Vis consili expers, &c. " Force devoid of judgment sinks 
under its own weight. — 66. Temperatam. " When under its controul," 
i. e. when regulated by judgment. Understand consilio. — Provehunt in 
majus. " Increase." — 69. Gyges. Gyges, Cottus, and Briareus, sons of 
Coelus and Terra, were hurled by their father to Tartarus. Jupiter, how- 
ever, brought them back to the light of day, and was aided by them in 
overthrowing the Titans. Such is the mythological narrative of Hesiod. 
(Theog. 617. seqq.) Horace evidently confounds this cosmogonical fable 
with one of later date. The Centimani are of a much earlier creation than 
the rebellious giants, and fight on the side of the gods ; whereas, in the 
present passage, Horace seems to identify one of their number with these 
very giants. — 71. Orion. The well-known hunter and giant of early fable. 
— 73. Injectamonstris. A Groecismfor se injectam esse dolet, &c. "Earth 
grieves at being cast upon the monsters of her own production." An al- 
lusion to the overthrow and punishment of the giants. (r^ycvcTf.) Ence- 
ladus was buried under Sicily, Polybotes under Nisyrus, torn off by Nep- 
tune from the isle of Cos, Otus under Crete, &c. (Apollod. 1. 6. 2.) — 
Partus. The Titans are now meant, who were also the sons of Terra, 
and whom Jupiter hurled to Tartarus. — 75. Nee peredit impositam, &c. 
"Nor does the rapid fire consume Aetna placed upon Enceladus," i. e. 
nor is Enceladus lightened of his load. Pindar (Pyth. 1. 31.) and Aeschy- 
lus (Prom. v. 373.) place Typhoeus under this mountain. — 77. Tityi. 
Tityos was slain by Apollo and Diana, for attempting violence towards 
Latona. — 78. Ales. The vulture. — Nequiticc additus custos. "Added as 
the constant avenger of his guilt." — 79. Jlmatorem Pirithoum. " The 
amorous Pirithous," i. e. who sought to gain Proserpina to his love. Piri- 
thous, accompanied by Theseus, descended to Hades for the purpose ot 
carrying off Proserpina. He was seized by Pluto and bound to a rock 
with "countless fetters," (trecenlis catenis.) His punishment however is 
given differently by other writers. 



Ode 5. The ode opens with a complimentary allusion to the power of 
Augustus, and to his having wrested the Roman standards from the hands 
of tire Parthians. The bard then dwells for a time upon the disgraceful 
defeat of Crassus, after which the nobleexample of Regulus is introduced, 
and a tacit comparison is then made during the rest of the piece between 
the high-toned principles of the virtuous Roman, and the strict discipline 
of Augustus. 

1 — 3. 1. Ccelo tonanium, &c. " We believe from his thundering that 
Jove reigns in the skies." Compare Lucan, 3. 319. seqq.— 2. Pmsens 



356 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE V. 

divus, &c. Having stated the common grounds on which the belief of 
Jupiter's divinity is founded, the poet now proceeds, in accordance with 
the flattery of the age, to name Augustus as a "deity upon earth," 
(pr as ens divus,) assigning, as a proof of this, his triumph over the nations 
of the farthest east and west, especially his having wrested from the Par- 
thians, by the mere terror of his name, the standards so disgracefully lost 
by the Roman Crassus. — 3. Mjectis Britannis, &c. " The Britons and 
the formidable Parthians being added to his sway." According to Strabo 
some of the princes of Britain sent embassies and presents to Augustus, 
and placed a large portion of the island under his control. It was not, 
however, reduced to a Roman province until the time of Claudius. What 
Horace adds respecting the Parthians is adorned with the exaggeration of 
poetry. This nation was not, in fact, added by Augustus to the empire 
of Rome, they only surrendered, through dread of the Roman power, the 
standards taken from Crassus. 

5 — 12. 5. Milesne Crassi, &c. "Has the soldier of Crassus lived, a 
degraded husband, with a barbarian spouse ?" An allusion to the 
soldiers of Crassus made captives by the Parthians, and who, to save 
their lives, had intermarried with females of that nation. Hence the 
peculiar force of vixit, which is well explained by one of the scholiasts ; 
"uxores a victoribus acceperant, ut vitain merer -enter." To constitute a 
lawful marriage among the Romans, it was required that both the con- 
tracting parties be citizens and free. There was no legitimate marriage 
between slaves, nor was a Roman citizen permitted to marry a slave, a 
barbarian, or a foreigner generally. Such a connection was called con- 
nubium, not matrimonium. — 7. Pro curia, inversique mores ! " Ah ! 
senate of my country, and degenerate principles of the day!" The poet 
mourns over the want of spirit on the part of the senate, in allowing the 
disgraceful defeat of Crassus to remain so long unavenged, and over the 
stain fixed on the martial character of Rome by this connection of her 
captive soldiery with their barbarian conquerors. Such a view of the 
subject carries with it a tacit but flattering eulogium on the successful 
operations of Augustus. — 9. Sub rege Medo. " Beneath a Parthian 
king." — Marsus et Jlppulus. The Marsians and Apulians, the bravest 
portion of the Roman armies, are here taken to denote the Roman sol- 
diers generally. — 10. Jlnciliorum. The ancilia were "the sacred shields" 
carried round in procession by the Salii or priests of Mars. — Et nominis 
et togce. "And of the name and attire of a Roman." The toga was the 
distinguishing part of the Roman dress, and the badge of a citizen. — 11. 
JEtemczque Vestcc. Alluding to the sacred fire kept constantly burning 
by the vestal virgins in the temple of the goddess. — 12. Incolumi Joveet 
urbe Roma. " The capitol and the Roman city being safe," i. e. though 
the Roman power remained still superior to its foes. Jove is here put 
for Jove Capitolino, equivalent in fact to Capitolio. 

13 — 38. 13. Hoc caverat, &c. The example of Regulus is now cited, 
who foresaw the evil effects that would result to his country, if the Ro- 
man soldier was allowed to place his hopes of safety any where but in 
arms. Hence the vanquished commander recommends to his country- 
men, not to accept the terms offered by the Carthaginians, and, by re- 
ceiving back the Roman captives, establish a precedent pregnant with 
ruin to a future age. The soldier must either conquer or die ; he must 
not expect that, by becoming a captive, he will have a chance of being 
ransomed and thus restored to his country. — 14. Dissentientis conditionibus, 
&c. " Abhorring the foul terms proposed by Carthage, and a precedent 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. t—BOOK III. ODE VI. 357 

pregnant with ruin to a future age." Alluding to the terms of accom- 
modation, of which he himself was the bearer, and which he advised his 
countrymen to reject. The Carthaginians wished peace and a mutual 
ransoming of prisoners. — 17. Si yion perirent, &c. " If the captive youth 
were not to perish unlamented." The common reading is periret, which 
injures the metre. — 20. Militibus. " From our soldiery." — 23. Portas- 
que non clusas, &c. " And the gates of the foe standing open, and the 
fields once ravaged by our soldiery now cultivated by their hands." 
Regulus, previous to his overthrow, had spread terror to the very gates 
of Carthage. — 25. Jluro repensus, &c. Strong and bitter irony. "The 
soldier after being ransomed by gold will no doubt return a braver man!" 
— 20. Medicata fuco. " When once stained by the dye." — 29. Vera 
virtus. " True valour." — 30. Deterioribus. Understand anitnis. " In 
minds which have become degraded by cowardice." — 35. Iners. To 
be rendered as an adverb, " ingloriously." — Timuitque mortem, &c " And 
has feared death from that very quarter, whence, with far more propriety, 
he might have obtained an exemption from servitude." He should have 
trusted to his arms ; they would have saved him from captivity. Vitam 
is here equivalent to salutem. The common text has a period after mor- 
tem, and reads Hie in place of Hinc, in the next line. — 38. Pacem et du- 
ello miscuit. " He has confounded peace, too, with war." He has sur- 
rendered with his arms in his hands, and has sought peace in the heat 
of action from his foe by a tame submission. 

40 — 55. 40. Probrosis altior Italice minis. "Rendered more glorious by 
the disgraceful downfall of Italy." — 42. Ut capitis minor. " As one mo 
longer a freeman." Among the Romans, any loss of liberty or of the 
rights of a citizen was called Deminutio Capitis. — 45. Donee labantes, &c. 
"Until, as an adviser, he confirmed the wavering minds of the fathers by 
counsel never given on any previous occasion," i. e. until he settled the 
wavering minds of the senators by becoming the author of advice before 
unheard. Regulus advised the Romans strenuously to prosecute the 
war, and leave him to his fate. — 49. Jltqui sciebat, &c. There is consid- 
erable doubt respecting the story of the sufferings of Regulus. Consult 
Lempriere's Class. Diet. Jlnthmi's ed. 1833. s. v. — 52. Reditus. The plu- 
ral here beautifully marks his frequent attempts to return, and the 
endeavours of the crowd to oppose his design. Abstract nouns are fre- 
quently used in the plural in Latin, where our own idiom does not allow 
of it, to denote a repetition of the same act, or the existence of the same 
quality in different subjects. — 53. Longa negotia. " The tedious con- 
cerns." — 55. Venafranos in agros. Consult note on Ode, 2- 6. 16. — 56. 
Lacedcemonium Tarentum. Consult note on Ode, 2. 6. 11. 



Ode 6. Addressed to the corrupt and dissolute Romans of his age, 
and ascribing the national calamities, which had befallen them, to the 
anger of the gods at their abandonment of public and private virtue. To 
heighten the picture of present corruption, a view is taken of the simple 
manners which marked the earlier days of Rome. 

Although no mention is made of Augustus in this piece, yet it would 
seem to have been written at the time when that emperor was actively 
engaged in restraining the tide of public and private corruption ; when, 
as Suetonius informs us, (vit. Aug. 30.) he was rebuilding the sacred 
edifices which had either been destroyed by fire or suffered to fall to ruin, 
while by the Lex Julia, " De adulteriis," and the Lex Papia-Poppaea, 



35S EXPLANATORY NOTES. —BOOK III. ODE VI. 

" De maritandis urdinibus," he was striving to reform the moral condi- 
tion of his people. Hence it may be conjectured that the poet wishes 
to celebrate, in the present ode, the civic virtues of the monarch. 

1 — 11. 1. Delicto, majorum, Sac. " Though guiltless of them, thou 
fihalt atone, O Roman, for the crimes of thy fathers." The crimes here 
alluded to have reference principally to the excesses of the civil wars. 
The offences of the parents are visited on their children. — 3. Jiedes. 
u The shrines." Equivalent here to dehibra. — 4. Foeda nigro, &c. The 
statues of the gods, in the temples, were apt to contract impurities from 
the smoke of the altars, &c. Hence the custom of annually washing 
them in running water or the nearest sea, a rite which, according to the 
poet, had been long interrupted by the neglect of the Romans. — 5. Im- 
peras. " Thou boldest the reins of empire." — 6. Hinc mnne principium, 
&c. "From them derive the commencement of every undertaking, to 
them ascribe its issue." — In metrical reading, pronounce principium hue, 
in this line, as ii written princip-yuc. 8. Hesperice. Put for Italia. Con- 
sult note on Ode 1. 36. 4. — 9. Monases et Pacmi manus. Alluding to 
two Parthian commanders who had proved victorious over the Romans. 
Monceses, more commonly known by the name of Surena, is the same 
that defeated Crassus. Pacorus was the son of Orodes, the Parthian 
monarch, and defeated Didius Saxa, the lieutenant of Marc Antony. — 
10. Nonauspicatos contudit impetus. " Have crushed our inauspicious 
efforts." — 11. Et adjecisse pradam, Sac. "And proudly smile in having 
added the spoils of Romans to their military ornaments of scanty size 
before." By torques are meant, among the Roman writers, golden 
chains, which went round the neck, bestowed as military rewards. The 
term is here applied in a general sense to the Parthians, while the epi- 
thet exiguis implies the inferior military fame of this nation previous to 
their victories over the Romans. 

13 — 45. 13. Occupatam seditionibus. " Embroiled in civil dissensions." 
— According to the poet, the weakness consequent on disunion had 
almost given the capital over into the hands of its foes. — 14. Dacus et 
JEthiops. An allusion to the approaching conflict between Augustus 
and Antony. By the term JEthiops are meant the ^Egyptians generally. 
As regards the Dacians, Dio Cassius (51. 22.) states, that theyhad sent 
ambassadors to Augustus, but, not obtaining what they wished, had there- 
upon inclined to the side of Antony. According to Suetonius (vit. Aug. 
21.) their incursions were checked by Augustus, and three of their leaders 
slain. — 17, Nuptias inquinavere. "Have polluted the purity of the nup- 
tial compact." Compare the account given by Heineccius of the Lex 
Julia, " De adulterio," and the remarks of the same writer relative to the 
laws against this offence prior to the time of Augustus. (Jlntiq. Rom. 
lib. 4. tit. 18. § 51. — ed. Haubold. p. 782.) Consult also Suetonius, vit. 
Jlug. 34. — 20. In patriam populumque. The term patriam contains an 
allusion to public calamities, while populum, on the other hand, refers to 
such as are of a private nature, the loss of property, of rank, of charac- 
ter, &c, — 21. Molus Ionicos. The dances of the Ionians were noted for 
their wanton character. — 22. Fingitur artibus. "Is trained up to seduc- 
tive arts." Artibus is the dative, by a Graecism, for ad artes. — 24. De te- 
nero ungui. " From her very childhood." — 33. His parentibus. " From 
parents such as these." — 35. Cecidit. " Smote." — 37. Rusiicorum mili- 
tum. The best portion of the Roman troops were obtained from the 
Rustic tribes, as being most inured to toil. — 38. Sabellis legionibus. The 
simple manners of earlier times remained longest in force among the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE VII. VIII. 359 

Sabines, and the tribes descended from them. — 42. Et juga demeret, &c. 
Compare the Greek terms (lovXvcis and (3ov\vt6s. — 44. Jlgens. "Bringing 
on." Restoring. — 45. Danmosa dies. " Wasting time"" Dies is most 
commonly masculine when used to denote a particular day, and feminine 
when it is spoken of the duration of time. 



Ode 7. Addressed to Asterie, and exhorting her to continue faithful 
to the absent Gyges, and beware of the addresses of her neighbour 
Enipeus. 

1 — 32. 1. Candidi Favonii. "The fair breezes of Spring." The epithet 
candidi is here applied to the breezes of Spring, from their dispelling the 
dark clouds and storms of winter. — 3. Thyna merce beatum. " Enriched 
with Bithynian merchandise." — 4. Fide. The old form of the genitive 
for fidei. — 6. Oricum. A town and harbour of Epirus, not far from 
Apollonia and the mouth of the Aous. It was much frequented by the 
Romans in their communication with Greece, being very conveniently- 
situated for that purpose from its proximity to Hydruntum and Brundi- 
sium. — 6. Post insana Capraz sidera. " After the raging stars of the goat 
have risen." Capra is a star of the first magnitude, in the shoulder of 
Auriga; two smaller stars, in his left hand, mark the hcedi or kids. Both 
the rising and setting of Capra were attended by storms. The allusion, 
however, is here to its rising, since its setting took place in that part of the 
year (Calends of January) when the sea was closed against navigation. — 
9. Hospita. Referring to Chloe. — 10. Tuis ignibus. " With the same love 
that thou hast for him." — 13. Mxdier perfida. "His false spouse." Al- 
luding to Antea, as Homer calls the wife of Proetus, or Sthenobea, as 
others give the name. — 14. Falsis criminibus. " By false accusations." — 
17. Paine datum Pelea Tartaro. "ThatPeleus narrowly escaped death." 
The story of Peleus is similar in many respects to that of Bellerophon. 
Consult, as to both, Lempriere's Class. Diet. ed. Jlnthan, 1833. — 18. Mag- 
nessam Hippolyten. Acastus, the husband of Hippolyte, was king of 
Magnesia in Thessaly. Hence the epithet Magnessain in the text. Apol- 
lodorus calls the female in question Astydamea. — 19. Peccare docentes 
historias movet. " Recounts pieces of history that are merely the lessons 
of vice." — 21. Icari. For Icarii. Understand maris. — 22. Integer. 
" Uncorrupted." — 25. Flectere. A Graecism for flectendi. — 26. JEque 
conspicitur. " Is equally conspicuous." — 28. Tusco alveo. Alluding to 
the Tiber, which rises in Etruria. In reading this line, pronounce alveo 
as if written alv-yo. — 32. Duram. " Cruel." Difficilis. " Inflexible." 



Ode 8. Horace had invited Maecenas to attend a festal celebration 
on the Calends of March. As the Matronalia took place on this same 
day, the poet very naturally anticipates the surprise of his friend on the 
occasion. " Wonderest thou, Maecenas, what I, an unmarried man, 
have to do with a day kept sacred by the matrons of Rome?— On this 
very day my life was endangered by the falling of a tree, and its annual 
return always brings with it feelings of grateful recollection for my pro- 
vidential deliveiance." 

1 — 10. 1. Martiis coelebs, &c. " Maecenas, learned in the antiquities 
of Greece and Rome, dost thou wonder what I, an unmarried man, in- 



360 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE VIII. 

tend to do on the Calends of March, what these flowers mean, and 
this censer," &c. Sermones answers here, in some respect, to the Greek 
li49ovs, while by uterque lingua are meant, literally, the Greek and Roman 
tongues. — 7. Libero. In a previous ode, (2. 17. 27.) the bard attributes 
his preservation to Faunus, but now Bacchus is named as the author of 
his deliverance. There is a peculiar propriety in this. Bacchus is not 
only the protector of poets, but also, in a special sense, one of the gods 
of the country and of gardens, since to him are ascribed the discovery 
and culture of the vine and of apples. (Theocr. 2. 120. — Warton ad loc. 
— Aihenaus, 3. 23.) — Dies festus. Consult note on Ode 2. 3. 6.— 10. 
Corticem adstrietum, &c. " Shall remove the cork, secured with pitch, 
from the jar which began to drink in the smoke in the consulship of 
Tullus." Amphora, the dative, is put by a Graecism for ah amphora. 
As regards the shape of the ancient amphora, consult Henderson's 
History of Wines. When the wine-vessels were filled, and the dis- 
turbance of the liquor had subsided, the covers or stoppers were se- 
cured with plaster, or a coating of pitch mixed with the ashes of the vine, 
so as to exclude all communication with the external air. After this, 
the wines were mellowed by the application of smoke, which was pre- 
vented, by the ample coating of pitch or plaster on the wine- vessel, from 
penetrating so far as to vitiate the genuine taste of the liquor. Previously, 
however, to depositing the amphorae in the wine-vault or apotheca, it 
was usual to put upon them a label or mark indicative of the vintages, 
and of the names of the consuls in authority at the time, in order that, 
when they were taken out, their age and growth might be easily recog- 
nised. If by the consulship of Tullus, mentioned in the text, be meant 
that of L. Volcatius Tullus, who had M. iEmilius Lepidus for his col- 
league, A. U. C. 688, and if the present ode, as would appear from verse 
17. seqq. was composed A. U. C. 734. the wine offered by Horace to 
his friend must have been more than forty-six years old. 

13 — 25. 13. Sume Macenas, &c. "Drink, dear Maecenas, a hun- 
dred cups to the health of thy friend." A cup drained to the health, 
or in honour of any individual, was styled, in the Latin idiom, his cup 
(ejus poculum) ; hence the language of the text, cyathos amici. — Cyathos 
centum. Referring merely to a large number. — 15. Perfer in lucem. 
" Prolong till day-light." — 17. Milte civiles, &c. " Dismiss those cares, 
which, as a statesman, thou feelest for the welfare of Rome." An al- 
lusion to the office of Prafectus urbis, which Maecenas held during the 
absence of Augustus in Egypt. — 18. Daci Cotisonis agmen. The in- 
roads of the Dacians, under their king Cotiso, were checked by Lentu- 
lus, the lieutenant of Augustus. (Suet, Vit. Aug. 21.—Flor. 4. 12. 18.) 
Compare, as regards Dacia itself, the note on Ode 1. 35. 9. — 19. Medus 
infestus sibi. ""The PartKians, turning their hostilities against them- 
selves, are at variance in destructive conflicts." Consult note on Ode 
1 . 26. 3. — 22. Sera domitus catena. " Subdued after long-protracted con- 
test." The Cantabrians were reduced to subjection by Agrippa, the 
same year in which this ode was composed (A. U. C. 734.), after having 
resisted the power of the Romans, in various ways, for more than two 
hundred years. Consult note on Ode 2. 6. 2. — 23. Jam Scytha laxo, 
&c. "The Scythians now think of retiring from our frontiers, with 
bow unbent." By the Scythians are here meant the barbarous tribes 
in the vicinity of the Danube, but more particularly the Geloni, whose 
inroads had been checked by Lentulus. Consult note on Ode 2. 9. 23. 
— 25. Negligens ne qua, &c. Refraining, amid social retirement, from 
overweening solicitude, lest the people any where feel the pressure of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE X. IX. 361 

evil, seize with joy the gifts of the present moment, and bid adieu for a 
time to grave pursuits." The common text has a comma after laboret, and 
in the 26th line gives Parce pi-ivatus nimium cavere. The term negligent 
will then be joined in construction with parce, and negligens parce will 
then be equivalent to parce alone, " Since thou art a private person, be 
not too solicitous lest," &c. The epithet privatus, as applied by the 
poet to Maecenas, is then to be explained by a reference to the Roman 
usage, which designated all individuals, except the emperor, as privati. 
The whole reading, however, is decidedly bad. According to the lec- 
tion adopted in our text, negligens cavere is a Graecism for negligens ca- 
vendi. 



Ode 9. A beautiful Amoebean Ode, representing the reconciliation of 
two lovers. 

2 — 24. 2. Potior. "More favoured." — 3. Dabat. " Was accustomed 
to throw." — 4. Persarum rigid, &c. " I lived happier than the monarch 
of the Persians," i. e. I was happier than the richest and most powerful of 
kings. — 6. Mia. " For another." — 7. Miilli nominis . " Of distinguished 
fame." — 8. Ilia. The mother of Romulus and Remus. — 10. Dulces 
docta modos, &c. "Skilled in sweet measures, and mistress of the lyre." 
— 12. Jlnimce super stiti. "Her surviving soul." — 13. Torret face mutua. 
"Bums with the torch of mutual love." — 14. Thurini Ormjti. "Of the 
Thurian Ornytus." Thurium, or Thurii, was a city of Lucania, on the 
coast of the Sinus Tarentinus, erected by an Athenian colony, near the 
site of Sybaris which had been destroyed by the forces of Crotona. — 17. 
Prisca Venus. " Our old affection. " — 18. Diductos. " Us, long parted." — 
21. Sidere pulchrior. "Brighter in beauty than any star." — 22. Levior 
cortice. " Lighter than cork." Alluding to his inconstant and fickle dis- 
position. — hnprobo. " Stormy." — 24. Tecum vivere amem, &c. " Y"et 
with thee I shall love to live, with thee I shall cheerfully die." Supply 
tamen, as required by quamquam which precedes. 



Ode 10. A Specimen of the songs called napcucXavcriOvpa by the Greeks, 
and which answered in some respects to the modern serenade. 

1 — 20. 1. Extremum Tanain, &c. "Didst thou drink, Lyce, of the 
far-distant Tanais," i. e. wert thou a native of the Scythian wilds. — 2. 
Scevo nupta viro. "Wedded to a barbarian husband." — 3. Incolis. 
"Which have made that land the place of their abode." The poet means 
by the expressive term incolis to designate the northern blast as continual- 
ly ragirag in the wilds of Scythia. — 4. Plorares. " Thou wouldst regret." 
— 5. Nemus inter pulchra, &c. Referring to the trees planted within the 
enclosure of the impluvium. This was a court-yard, or open space in 
the middle of a Roman house, generally without any covering at the top, 
and surrounded on all sides by buildings. Trees were frequently planted 
here, and more particularly the laurel. — 7. Sentis id positas, fyc. " And 
thou perceivest how Jove, by his pure influence, hardens the fallen snows," 
i. e. and thou perceivest how the clear, dry air, hardens the fallen snows. 
— 9. Ne currente rota, &c. "Lest, while the wheel is revolving, the rope 
on a sudden fly back." An allusion to some mechanical contrivance for 
raising heavy weights, and which consists of a wheel with a rope passing 



362 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XI. 

in a groove along its outer edge. Shou-ld the weight of the mass that is to 
be raised prove too heavy, the rope, unable to resist, snaps asunder and 
flies back, being drawn down by the body intended to be elevated. The 
application of this image to Lyce, is pleasing and natural. " Be not too 
haughty and disdainful, lest thou fall on a sudden from thy present state, 
lest thou be abandoned by those who are now crowding around, a herd of 
willing slaves." — 12. Tyrrhenus parens. The morals of the Etrurians, if 
we believe Thcopompus, as cited by Athenoeus, (12. 3.) were extremely 
corrupt. — 14. Tinctus viola. As the Romans and Greeks were generally 
of a swarthy or olive complexion, their paleness was rather a yellowness 
than a whiteness. — 15. Plena. Consult note on Ode, 3. 4. 40. — 20. 
Patiens. " Able to endure." 



Ode 11. Addressed to Lyde, an obdurate fair one. 

1 — 26. 1. Te magistro. " Under thy instruction." — 2. Jlmpkhn. 
Amphion, son of Jupiter and Antiope, was fabled to have built the walls 
of Thebes by the music of his lyre, the stones moving of themselves into 
their destined places. Eustathius, however, ascribes this to Amphion 
conjointly with his brother Zethus. — 3. Testudo. " O shell." Consult 
note on Ode 1. 10. 6. — Resonare septem, &c. "Skilled in sending forth 
sweet music with thy seven strings." Callida resonare by a Groecism 
for calida in resonando. — 5. JVec loquax olim, &c. "Once, neither vocal nor 
gifted with the power to please, now acceptable both to the tables of the 
rich and the temples of the gods. — 10. Ludit exsultim. " Sports, bound- 
ing along." — 13. Tu potes tigres, &c. An allusion to the legend of 
Orpheus. — 14. Comiles. "As thy companions," i. e. in thy train. — 15. 
Jllandienti. " Soothing his anger by the sweetness of thy notes." — 16. 
Jlula-. " Of Pluto's hall." Orpheus descended with his lyre to the 
shades, for the purpose of regaining his Eurydice. — 17. Furiale caput. 
"His every head, like those of the Furies." — 18. JEstuet. "Rolls forth 
its hot volumes." — 19. Teter. "Deadly." "Pestilential." — Sanies. 
" Poisonous matter." — 22. Stetit urna paulum, &c. " The vase of each 
stood for a moment dry," i. e. the Danaides ceased for a moment from 
their toil. — 26. Et inane lymphce, &c. " And the vessel empty of wa- 
ter, from its escaping through the bottom." Dolium is here taken as 
a general term for the vessel or receptacle, which the daughters of Da- 
naus were condemned to fill, and the bottom of which, being perforated 
with numerous holes, allowed the water constantly to escape. 

30 — 51 30. Nam quid potuere majus, &c. " For, what greater crime 
could they commit ?" Understand scelus. — 33. Una de rnultis. Allu- 
ding to Hypermnestra, who spared her husband Lynceus. — Face nupti- 
ali digna. At the ancient marriages, the bride was escorted from her 
father's house to that of her husband, amid the light of torches. — 34. 
Perjurum fuit hi parentem, &c. " Proved, gloriously false to her perju- 
red parent." The Danaides were bound by an oath, which their pa- 
rent had imposed, to destroy their husbands on the night of their nup- 
tials. Hypermnestra alone broke that engagement, and saved the life 
of Lynceus. The epithet perjurum, as applied to Danaus, alludes to 
his violation of good faith toward his sons-in-law. — 35. Virgo. Consult 
Heyne, ad Apoltod. 2. 1. 5. — 39. Soc.erum et scelestas, &c. " Escape by 
Secret flight from thy father-in-law and my wicked sisters." Falle is 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XII. XIII. 363 

here equivalent to the Greek \dde — 41. Nacta. " Having got into their 
power." — 44. Neque intra claustra tenebo. " Nor will I keep thee here 
in confinement," i. e. nor will I keep thee confined in this thy nuptial cham- 
ber, until others come and slay thee. — 45. Me pater scevis, &c. Hyperm- 
nestra was imprisoned by her father, but afterwards, on a reconciliation 
taking place, was re-united to Lynceus. — 51. Memorem querelam. " A 
mournful epitaph, recording the story of our fate." 



Ode 12. The bard laments the unhappy fate of Neobule, whose affec- 
tion for the young Hebrus had exposed her to the angry chidings of an 
offended relative. 

1 — 10. 1. Miserarum est. " It is for unhappy maidens," i. e. Unhappy 
are the maidens who, &c. — 2. Lavere. The stem conjugation ; the older 
form for lavare. — Aui exanimari, &c. " Or else to be half-dead with 
alarm, dreading the lashes of an uncle's tongue." i. e. Or, in case they 
do indulge the tender passion, and do seek to lead a life of hilarity, to be 
constantly disquieted by the dread of some morose uncle who chances 
to be the guardian of their persons. The severity of uncles was prover- 
bial. Compare Erasmus Chi!, p. 463, ed. Steph. "Ne sis patruus mihi," 
and Ernesti, Clav. Cic. s. v. Patruus. — 4. Operosceque Minervx studium. 
" And all inclination for the labours of Minerva." Literally .- "All affec- 
tion for the industrious Minerva." — 5. Liparei. " Of Lipara." Lipara, 
now Lipari, the largest of the Insuhe iEoliae, off the coasts of Italy and 
Sicily. — 6. Unctos humeros. The ancients anointed themselves previously 
to their engaging in gymnastic exercises, and bathed after these were 
ended. The arrangement of the common text is consequently erroneous, 
in placing the line beginning with Simul unctos after segni pede victus. — 
4. Bellerophonte. Alluding to the fable of Bellerophon and Pegasus. — 
8. Catus jaculari. A Grascism for catus jaculandi. — 10. Celer arcto lati- 
tantem, &c. "Active in surprising the boar that lurks amid the deep 
thicket." Celer excipere for celer in excipiendo or ad excipiendum. 



Ode 13. A sacrifice is promised to the fountain of Bandusia and an 
immortalizing in verse. 

1 — 15. 1. fons Bandusia. The true form of the name is here 
given. The common text has Blandusice. The Blandusian fount was 
situate within the precincts of the poet's Sabine farm, and not far from 
his dwelling. — Splendiiior vitro. " Clearer than glass." — 3. Donaberis. 
"Thou shalt be gifted," i. e. in sacrifice. — 6. Fruslra. sc. setas eum Ve- 
neri et proeliis destinat. — 6. Nam gelidos irificiet, &c. The altars on 
which sacrifices were offered to fountains, were placed in their immediate 
vicinity, and constructed of turf. — 9. Te jlagrantis atrox, &c. " Thee the 
fierce season of the blazing dog-star does not affect." Literally, "knows 
not how to affect." Consult note on Ode 1. 17. 7. — 13. Fies nobilium 
tu quoque fontiwn. " Thou too shalt become one of the famous foun- 
tains." By the nobiles fontes are meant Hippocrene, Dirce, Arethusa, 
&.c. The construction fies nobilium fontium is imitated from the Greek. 
— 14. Me dicente. " While I tell of," i. e. while I celebrate in song. — 15, 
Loquaces lymphx tux. " Thy prattling waters." 
34 



OO* EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XIV. 

Ode 14. On the expected return of Augustus from his expedition 
against the Cantabri. The poet proclaims a festal day in honour of so 
joyous an event, and while the consort and Ihe sister of Augustus, ac- 
companied by the Roman females, are directed to go forth and meet 
their prince, he himself proposes to celebrate the day at his own abode 
with wine and festivity. 

What made the return of the emperor peculiarly gratifying to the 
Roman people, was the circumstance of his having been attacked by 
sickness during his absence, and confined for a time at the city of Tar- 
raco. 



1. — 6. 1. Herculis ritu, &c. "Augustus, O Romans, who so lately 
was said, after the manner of Hercules, to have sought for the laurel to 
be purchased only with the risk of death, now," &c. The conquests of 
Augustus over remote nations are here compared with the labours of 
the fabled Hercules, and as the latter, after the overthrow of Geryon, 
returned in triumph from Spain to Italy, so Augustus now comes from 
the same distant quarter victorious over his barbarian foes. The ex- 
pression morte venalem petiisse laurum, refers simply to the exposure of 
life in the achieving of victory. Compare the remark of Acron. 
" Mortis contemptu laus victoria quccritw et Iriumphi." — 5. Unico gaudens 
vndier marito, &c. " Let the consort who exults in a peerless husband, 
go forth to offer sacrifices to the just deities of heaven." The allusion 
is to Livia, the consort of Augustus. As regards the passage itself, 
two things are deserving of attention ; the first is the use of unico, in 
the sense of praestantissimo, on which point consult Heinsius, ad Ovid. 
Met. 3. 454 : the second is the meaning we must assign to operetta which 
is here taken by a poetic idiom for ut operetur. On this latter subject 
compare Tibullus, 2. 1. 9. erf Heyne. Virgil, Georg. 1. 335. erf. Heyne, and 
the comments of Milschcrlich and Doling on the present passage. — 6. 
Juslis divis. The gods are here styled "just" from their granting to 
Augustus the success which his valour deserved. This of course is 
mere flattery. Augustus was never remarkable either for personal bra- 
very, or military talents. 

7 — 2S. 7. Soror clari dncis. Octavia, the sister of Augustus. — Decora: 
supplice vitla. " Bearing, as becomes them, the suppliant fillet." Ac- 
cording to the scholiast on Sophocles (Oed. T. 3.} petitioners among 
the Greeks usually carried boughs wrapped around with fillets of wool. 
Sometimes the hands were covered with these fillets, not only among 
the Greeks but also among the Romans. — 9. Virginum. " Of the young 
married females," whose husbands were returning in safety from the 
war. Compare, as regards this usage of Virgo, Ode, 2. 8. 23. Virg. 
Eel. 6. 47. Ov. Her. 1. 115. — Nuper. Referring to the recent termina- 
tion of the Cantabrian conflict. — 10. Vos, pueri, &c. "Do you, ye 
boys, and yet unmarried damsels, refrain from ill-omened words." 
Some editions read experts, and make virum the accusative, by which 
lection puellazjam virum experts, is made to refer to those but lately mar- 
ried. — 14. Tumultum. The term tumultus properly denotes a war in 
Italy or an invasion by the Gauls. It is here, however, taken for any 
dangerous war either at home or in the vicinity of Italy. — 17. Pete un- 
guentum et coronas. Consult note on Ode 1. 17- 27. — 18. Et cadum 
Marsi, &c. " And a cask that remembers the Marsian war," i. e. a 
cask containing old wine made during the period of the Marsian or so- 
cial war. This war prevailed from A. U. C. 660 to 662, and if the pre- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE ST. XVI. 365 

sent ode was written, A.U. C. 730, as is generally supposed, the contents 
of the cask must have been from 67 to 69 years old. — 19. Spartacum si 
qua, &c. u If a vessel of it has been able in any way to escape the 
roving Spartacus." With qua understand ratione. Qua for aliqua, in 
the nominative, violates the metre. Spartacus was the leader of the 
gladiators in the Servile war. — 21. Argutaz. " The sweet-singing." — 22. 
Myrrheum. "Perfumed with Myrrh." Some commentators errone- 
ously refer this epithet to the dark colour of the hair. — 27. Hoc. Allud- 
ing to the conduct of the porter. — Fen-em. For tulissem. — 28. Consuls 
Planco. Plancus was consul with M. Aemilius Lepidus, A. U. C. 711, 
at which period Horace was about 23 years of age. 



Ode 15. The poet advises Chloris, now in her old age, to pursue em- 
ployments more consistent with her years. 

2 — 15. 2. Figemodum. "Set bounds. — 3. Famosis. "Infamous." — 
6. Et stellis nebulam, &c. " And to diffuse a cloud amid those brilliant 
stars," i. e. to spread the dark cloud of age and deformity amid those 
bright stars of youth and beauty. — 10. Thyias. " The female Bacchant." 
Compare Ode 2. 19. 9. — 14. Luceriam. Luceria was a city of Apulia, 
in the interior of Daunia, and about twelve miles to the south-west of 
Arpi. It was noted for the excellence of its wool. The modern name of 
the place is Lucera. — 15. Nee fios purpureus rosea. , Alluding to the gar- 
lands worn at entertainments. 



Ode 16. This piece turns on the poet's favourite topic, that happiness 
consists not in abundant possessions, but in a contented mind. 

1 — 19. 1. Inclusam Danaen. The story of Danae and Acrisius is 
well known. — Turns aenea. Apollodorus merely mentions a brazen 
chamber, constructed underground, in which Danae was immured. (2. 4. 
1.) Later writers make this a tower, and some represent Danae as having 
been confined in a building of this description when about to become a 
mother. (Heyne ad Jipollod. I. c.) — 3. Munierant. For muniissent. — 4. 
Adulteris. For amatoribus. — 5. Jlcrisium. Acrisius was father of Danae, 
and king of Argos in the Peloponnesus. — 6. Custodem pavidum. Allud- 
ing to his dread of the fulfilment of the oracle. — 7. Fore enim, &c. Un- 
derstand sciebant. — 8. Converso in pretium. By the term vretium in the 
sense of aurum, the poet hints at the true solution of the fable, the bribery 
of the guards. — 9. Ire amat. "Loves to make its way." Amat is here 
equivalent to the Greek <pi\u, and much stronger than the Latin solet. — 
10. Saxa. "The strongest barriers." — 11. Auguris Argivi. Alluding to 
the story of Amphiaraus and Eriphyle. — 12. Ob lucrum. "From a thirst 
for gold." — 14. Vir Macedo. Philip, father of Alexander. Compare the 
expression of Demosthenes, MaKE&wv avfip. How much this monarch 
effected by bribery is known to all. — 15. Munera navium, &c. Horace is 
thought to allude here to Menodorus, or Menas, who was noted for fre- 
quently changing sides in the war between Sextus Pompeius and the 
triumvirs. — 16. Sozvos. "Rough." Some, however, make scevos here 
equivalent to fortes. — 17. Crescentem sequitur, &c. The connection in 
the train of ideas is this : and yet powerful as gold is in triumphing over 
difficulties, and in accomplishing what perhaps no other human power 



3bO EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XVII. 

could effect, still it must be carefully shunned by those, who wish to lead 
a happy life, for " care ever follows after increasing riches as well as the 
craving desire for more extensive possessions." — 19. Late conspicuum, &c. 
" To raise the far conspicuous head," i. e. to seek after the splendour and 
honours which wealth bestows on its votaries, and to make these the 
source of vain-glorious boasting. 

22 — 43. 22. Plum. For tanto plura.—Nil cupientium, &c. The rich 
and the contented are here made to occupy two opposite encampments. — 
23. Audits. Best explained by a paraphrase: "Divested of every desire 
for more than fortune has bestowed." — 24. Linquere gestio. "1 take de- 
light in abandoning." — 25. Contemtaz dominus, &c. " More conspicuous 
as the possessor of a fortune contemned by the great." — 30. Segetis certa 
fides mece. "A sure reliance on my crop," i. e. the certainty of a good 
crop. — 31. Fulgentcm imperio, &c. "Yield a pleasure unknown to him 
who is distinguished for his wide domains in fertile Africa." Literally, 
" escapes the observation of him, who," &c. Fallit is here used for the 
Greek \avQdvu. As regards the expression ferlilis Africa, consult note 
on Ode 1. 1. 10. — 32. Sorte beatior. "Happier in lot am I." Understand 
sum. The common text places a period after beatior, and a comma after 
fallit, a harsh and inelegant reading, if it even be correct Latin. — 33. Ca- 
labrcc, &c. An allusion to the honey of Tarentum. Consult note on Ode 
2. 6. 14. — "A. Nee Lastrygonia Bacchus, &c. "Nor the wine ripens for 
me in a Laestrygonian jar." An allusion to the Formian wine. Formia 
was regarded by the ancients, as having been the abode and capital of 
the Laestrygoncs. — 35. Gallicis pascuis. The pastures of Cisalpine Gaul 
are meant. — 37. Imporlana tamen, &c. " Yet the pinching of contracted 
means is far away." Consult note on Ode 1. 12. 43. — 39. Contracto 
melius, &.c. "I shall extend more wisely my humble income by contract- 
ing my desires, than if 1 were to join the realm of Alyattes to the 
Mygdunian plains," i. c. than if Lydia and Phrygia were mine. Alyattes 
was king of Lydia and father of Croesus. As regards the epithet '"My- 
donian" applied to Phrygia, consult note on Ode 2. 12. 22. — 43. Bene est 
Understand ei. " Happy is the man on whom the deity has bestowed 
with a sparing hand what is sufficient for his wants." 



Ode 17. The bard, warned by the crow of to-morrow's storm, ex- 
horts his friend Lamia to devote the day, when it shall arrive, to joyous 
banquets. 

The individual to whom this ode is addressed, had signalized himself 
in the war with the Cantabri as one of the lieutenants of Augustus. 
His family claimed descent from Lamus, son of Neptune, and the most 
ancient monarch of the Laestrygones, a people alluded to in the pre- 
ceding ode (v. 34.) 

1 — 16. 1. Vttusto nobilis, &c. " Nobly descended from ancient La- 
mus." — 2. Priores hinc Lamias denominates. " That thy earlier ances- 
tors of the Lamian line were named from him." We have included all 
from line 2 to 6 within brackets, as savouring strongly of interpolation, 
from its awkward position. — 3. Et nepotum, &.c. " And since the whole 
race of their descendants, mentioned in recording annals, derive their 
origin from him as the founder of their house." The Fasti were public 
registers or chronicles, under the care of the Pontifex Maximus and his 
college, in which were marked from year to year what days were fasti 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK HI. ODE XVIH. 367 

and what nefasti. In the Fasti were also recorded the names of the 
magistrates, particularly of the consuls, an account of the triumphs that 
were celebrated, &c. (Compare Sigonius, Fasti Cons.) Hence the 
splendour of the Lamian line in being often mentioned in the annals of 
Rome. — 6. Formiarum. Consult note on Ode 3. 18. 34. — 7. Et innan- 
tcm, &c. " And the Liris, where it flows into the sea through the terri- 
tory of Minturnse." The poet wishes to convey the idea that Lamus 
ruled, not only over Formise, but also over the Minturnian territory. 
In expressing this, allusion is made to the nymph Marica, who had a 
grove and temple near Minturnse, and the words Marie as litora are used 
as a designation for the region around the city itself. Minturnse was a 
place of great antiquity, on the banks of the Liris, and only three or 
four miles from its mouth. The country around abounded with marshes. 
The nymph Marica is supposed by some to have been the mother of 
Latinus, and by -others thought to have been Circe. — 9. Late tyrannus, 
" A monarch of extensive sway." — 12. Jlqucc augur comix. Compare 
Ovid, Jim. 2. 6. 34. " Pluvice graculus augur uquce." — 13. Jlnnosa. 
Hesiod (fragm. 50.) assignstothe crow, forthe duration of its existence, 
nine ages of men. (Poet. Min. ed. Gaisf. vol. \. p. 189.) — Bum potis. 
Understand es. — 14. Cras genium men, &c. " On the morrow, thou 
shalt honour thy genius with wine." According to the popular belief 
of antiquity, every indi-vidual had a genius (Saljxav) or tutelary spirit, 
which was supposed to take care of the person during the whole of 
life. — 16. Operum solutis. " Released from their labours." A Graecism 
for ah opere solutis. 



Ode 18. The po.'t invokes the presence of Faunus, and seeks to 
propitiate the favour of the god toward his fields and flocks. He then 
describes the rustic hilarity of the day, made sacred, at the commence- 
ment of winter, to this rural divinity. — Faunus had two festivals (Fau- 
nalia), one on the Nones (5th) of December, after all the produce of the 
year had been stored away, and when the god was invoked to protect it, 
ana to give health and fecundity to the flocks and herds ; and another 
in the beginning of the Spring when the same deity was propitiated by 
sacrifices, that he might preserve and foster the grain committed to the 
earth. This second celebration took place on the Ides (13th) of Feb- 
ruary. 

1 — 15. 1. Fauno. Consult note on Ode 1. 17. 2. — 2. Lenis incedas. 
" Mayest thou move benignant." — Absasque parvis, &c. "And mayest 
thou depart propitious to the young offspring of my flocks." The poet 
invokes the favour of the god on the young of his flocks as being more 
exposed to the casualties of disease. — 5. Pleno anno. " At the close of 
every year." — 7. Vetus ara. On which sacrifices have been made to 
Faunus for many a year. A pleasing memorial of the piety of the bard. 
— 10. Nonce Decembres. Consult Introductory Remarks. — 11. Festus in 
pratis, &c. " The village, celebrating thy festal day, enjoys a respite 
from toil in the grassy meads, along with the idle ox." — 13. Inter audaces, 
&c. Alluding to the security enjoyed by the flocks, under the protect- 
ing care of the god. — 14. Sp'argit agrestes, &c. As in Italy the trees do 
not shed their leaves until December, the poet converts this into a spe- 
cies of natural phenomenon in honourof Faunus, as if the trees, touched 
by his divinity, poured down their leaves to cover his path. It was cus- 
tomary among the ancients, to scatter leaves and flowers on the ground 



3C8 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XIX. 

in honour of distinguished personages. Compare Virgil, Eclog. 5. 40. 
" Spar git c humum foliis." — 15. G audet invisam, &c. An allusion to the 
rustic dances which always formed part of the celebration. 



Ode 19. A party of friends, among whom was Horace, intended to 
celebrate, by a feast of contribution (ipavos), the recent appointment of 
Murena to the office of augur. Telephus, one of the number, was con- 
spicuous for his literary labours, and had been for sometime occupied in 
composing a history of Greece. At a meeting of these friends, held as 
a matter of course "in order to make arrangements for the approaching 
banquet, it may be supposed that Telephus, wholly engrossed with his 
pursuits, had introduced some topic of an historical nature, much to the 
annoyance of the bard. The latter, therefore, breaks out, as it were, 
with an exhortation to his companion, to abandon matters so foreign to 
the subject under discussion, and attend to things of more immediate 
importance. Presently, fancying himself already in the midst of the 
feast, he issues his edicts as symposiarch, and regulates the number of 
cups to be drunk in honour of the Moon, of Night, and of the augur Mu- 
rena. Then as if impatient of delay, he bids the music begin, and or- 
ders the roses to be scattered. The ode terminates with a gay allusion 
to Telephus. 

1—11. 1. Inacko. Consult note on Ode 2. 3. 21.— 2. Codrus. The 
last of the Athenian kings. If we believe the received chronology, Ina- 
chus founded the kingdom of Argos about 1856 B. C. and Codrus was 
sLain about 1070 B. C. The interval therefore will be 786 years.— 3. 
Genus .Qeaci. The Acacidae, or descendents of Acacus, were Peleus, 
Telamon, Achilles, Teucer, Ajax, &c. — 5. Chium cadum. " A cask of 
Chian wine." The Chian is described by some ancient writers, as a 
thick, luscious wine, and that which grew on the craggy heights of Ariu- 
sium, extending three hundred stadia along the coast, is extolled by 
Strabo as the best of the Greek wines. — 6. Mercemur, "We may buy." 
— Quis aqtiam temper et ignibus. Alluding to the hot drinks so customary 
among the Romans. — 7. Quota. Supply hora. — 8. Pelignis caream fri- 
goribus. "I may fence myself against the pinching cold," i. e. cold as 
piercing as that felt in the country of the Peligni. The territory of the 
Peligni was small and mountainous, and was separated from that of the 
Marsi, on the west, by the Appenines. It was noted for the coldness of 
its climate. — 9. Da lunez propere nova, &c. "Boy, give me quickly a 
cup in honour of the new moon." Understand pocxdum, and consult 
note on Ode 3. 8. 13. — 11. Tribus ca.it novem, &c. "Let our goblets be 
mixed with three or with nine cups, according to the temperaments of 
those who drink." In order to understand this passage, we must bear 
in mind, that the poculwm was the goblet out of which each guest drank, 
while the cyatlms was a small measure used for diluting the wine with 
water, or for mixing the two in certain proportions. Twelve of these 
cyathi went to the Sextarius. Horace, as symposiarch, or master of the 
feast, issues his edict, which is well expressed by the imperative form 
miscentor, and prescribes the proportions in which the wine and water 
are to be mixed, on the present occasion. For the hard drinkers, there- 
fore, among whom he classes the poets, of the twelve cyathi that compose 
the sextarius, nine will be of wine and three of water; while for the more 
temperate, for those who are friends to the Graces, the proportion on the 
contrary, will be nine cyathi of water to three of wine. In the numbers 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE XX. XXI. 369 

here given there is more or less allusion to the mystic notions of the day, 
as both three and nine were held sacred. 

13 — 26. 13. Musas impares. " The Muses uneven in number." — 14. 
Attonitus vates. "The enraptured bard." — 18. Berecyntice. Consult note 
on Ode, 1. 30. 5. The Berecyntian or Phrygian flute was of a crooked 
form, whence it is sometimes called cornu. — 21. Parcentes dexteras. "De- 
laying hands." With parcentes understand deripere, i. e. hands delaying to 
seize the instrument, mentioned by the bard. — 24. Vidua. "Our fair young 
neighbour." — JV'<m habttis. " 111 suited," i. e. in point of years. — 25. Spissa 
te nitidum coma, &c. The connection is as follows : The old and morose 
Lycus fails, as may well be expected, in securing the affections of her to 
whom he is united. But thee, Telephus, in the bloom of manhood, thy 
Rhode loves, because her years are matched with thine. — 26. Puro. 
u Bright." 



Ode 20. Addressed to Pyrrhus. 

1 — 15. 1. Moveas. " Thou art trying to remove." Put for amoveas. — ■ 
3. Inaudax. Equivalent to timidics. — 6. Insignem. Equivalent to pul* 
chrum, forma being understood. — 7. Grande certamen. Put in opposition 
with Nearclium. " About to prove the cause of a fearful contest." — 
9. Interim dum tu, &c. This at first view appears to clash with inaudax 
in the 3rd line. That epithet, however, is applied to Pyrrhus, not in the 
commencement of the contest, but a little after, (pavio post.) — 11. Arbiter 
pugnaz. Alluding to Nearclius. — Posuisse nudo, &c. In allusion to his 
indifference as regards the issue of the contest. — 13. Leni recreare vento, 
&c According to the best commentators, the allusion is here to a.jiabellum, 
or fan, which the youth holds in his hand. This spoils, however, the 
beauty of the image. — 15. Nireus. According to Homer, (II. 2. 673.) the 
handsomest of the Greeks who fought against Troy, excepting Achilles. 
— Jlquosa raptus ab Ida. Alluding to Ganymede. As regards aquosa, 
compare the Homeric "iSi tzoXv-klSu^, Tni/jewa. 



Ode 21. M. Valerius Messala Corvinus having promised to sup with 
the poet, the latter full of joy at the expected meeting, addresses an am- 
phora of old wine, which is to honour the occasion with its contents. 
To the praise of this choice liquor succeed encomiums on wine in general. 
The ode is thought to have been written A. U. C. 723, when Corvinus 
was in his first consulship. 

1 — 11. 1. nata meeum, &c. " O jar, whose contents were brought 
into existence with me during the consulship of Manlius." Nata, though 
joined in grammatical construction with testa, is to be construed as an 
epithet for the contents of the vessel. Manlius Torquatus was consul 
A. U. C. 689, and Messala entered on his first consulate A.U. C. 723, 
the wine therefore of which Horace speaks must have been thirty years 
old. — 4. Seu facilem, pia, somnum. " Or, with kindly feelings, gentle 
sleep." The epithet pia must not be taken in immediate construction 
with [testa. — 5. Quocunque nomine. Equivalent to in quemcunque finem, 
"for whatever end." — 6, Moveri digna bono die. "Worthy of being 
moved on a festal day," i. e. of being moved from thy place on a day like 
this devoted to festivity. — 7. Descende. The wine is to come down from 



370 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE XXII. XXIII. 

the horreum, or ixoOrjKv. Consult note on Ode, 3. 28. 7. — S Languidiora. 
"Mellowed by age." — 9. Qnanquam Socraticis madet sermonibus. 
"Though he is deeply imbued with the tenets of the Socratic school," 
i. e. has drunk deep of the streams of philosophy. The term madct con- 
tains a figurative allusion to the subject of the Ode. — 10. Sermonibus. 
The method of instruction pursued by Socrates assumed the form of 
familiar conversation. The expression Socraticis sermonibus, however, 
refers more particularly to the tenets of the Academy, that school having 
been founded by Plato, one of the pupils of Socrates. — Horridus. 
"Sternly." — 11. Narratur et prisci Calonis, &c. "Even the austere old 
Cato is related to have often warmed under the influence of wine." As 
regards the idiomatic expression Catonis virtus, consult note on Ode 1. 
3. 36. The reference is to the elder Cato, not to Cato of Utica, and the 
poet speaks merely of the enlivening effects of a cheerful glass. 

13. — 23. 13. Tulenetonnentum &c. "Thou frequently appliest gen- 
tle violence to a rugged temper," i. e. thou canst subdue, by thy gentle 
violence, dispositions cast in the most rugged mould. — 14. Sapienlium. 
" Of the guarded and prudent." — 15. Jocoso Lycco. " By the aid of 
sportive Bacchus." — 18. Et addis cornna pauperi. "And addest 
confidence to him of humble means." Pauper implies a want, not of the 
necessaries, but of the comforts of life. The expression cofrnua addis is 
one of a proverbial character. Consult note on Ode 2. 19. 29. — 19. 
Post te. " After tasting of thee." — 20. Jlpices. " Tiaras." A particular 
allusion to the costume of Parthia and the East. — Militum. " Of foes in 
hostile array." — 21. Lata. "Propitious" — 22. Segnes nodum solvere. 
Slow to loosen the bond of union." A Grcecism for segnes ad solvendum 
nodum. The mention of the Graces alludes here to the propriety and 
decorum that are to prevail throughout the banquet. — 23. Vivccque lu- 
cerncc. "And the living lights." — Producent. " Shall prolong." Equiva- 
lent in fact to convivium producent. 



Ode 22. The poet, after briefly enumerating some of the attributes 
of Diana, consecrates to the goddess a pine tree that shaded his rural 
abode, and promises a yearly sacrifice. 

1 — 7. 1. Montium custos, &c. Compare Ode 1. 21. 5- — 2. Laboran- 
tes utero. " Labouring with a mother's pangs." — Puellas. Equivalent 
here to juvenes uxores. Compare Ode 3. 14. 10. — 3. Ter vocata. In al- 
lusion to her triple designation, Luna in heaven, Diana on earth, and 
Hecate in the shades. — 4. Triformis, "Of triple form." Consult pre- 
ceding note. — Imminens villa:, &c. "Let the pine that hangs over my 
villa be sacred to thee." Tua is here equivalent to tibi sacra. Compare 
Virgil, JEn. 10. 423. — 6. Per exactos annos. " At the close of every 
year." Compare Ode 3. 18. 5. — 7. Obliquum me.ditantis ictum. Boars 
have their tusks placed in such a manner, that they can only bite ob- 
liquely or side-ways. 



Ode 23. The bard addresses Phidyle, a resident in the country, 
•whom the humble nature of her offerings to the gods had filled with 
deep solicitude. He bids her be of good cheer, assuring her that the 
value of every sacrifice depends on the feelings by which it is dictated, 
and that one of the simplest and lowliest kind, if offered by a sincere 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK 111. ODE XXIV. 371 

and pious heart, is more acceptable to heaven than the most costly ob- 
lations. 

1 — 20. 1. Supinas manus. " Thy suppliant hands." Literally, 
"thy hands with the palms turned upwards." This was the ordinary 
gesture of those who offered up prayers to the celestial deities. — 2. Nas- 
cente luna. " At the new moon," i. e. at the beginning of every month. 
The allusion is to the old mode of computing by lunar months. — ■ 
3. Placaris. The final syllable of this tense is common: here it is 
long. — Et horna fruge. "And with a portion of this year's produce." 
Hvrnus ("of this year's growth") is from the Greek wpivos, which is itself 
a derivative of ibpa. — 5. Africum. Consult note on Ode 1. 1. 15. Some 
commentators make the wind here mentioned identical with the modern 
Sirocco. — 6. Sterilem robiginem. "The blasting mildew." — 7. Dulces 
alumni. " The sweet offspring of my flocks." Compare Ode 3. 18. 3. 
— 8. Pomifero grave tempus anno. "The sickly season in the autumn of 
the year." As regards the poetic usage by which annus is frequently 
taken in the sense of a part, not of the whole year, compare Virgil, 
Eclog. 3. 57: Hor. Epod. 2. 39. Statms, Sylv. 1. 3. 8. &c— 9. Nam 
qua nivali, &c. The construction is as follows : Nam victima, diis devo- 
ta, qua, pascitur nivali Jllgido, inter quercus et ilices, aut crescit in Jilbanis 
herbis, tinget cervice secures pontificum. The idea involved from the 9th 
to the 16th verse is this : The more costly victims shall fall for the pub- 
lic welfare ; thou hast need of but few and simple offerings to propi- 
tiate for thee the favour of the gods. — Jllgido. Consult note on Ode 
1.21. 6. — 11. Jilbanis in herbis, " amid Alban pastures," alluding to the 
pastures around Mons Albanus and the ancient scite of Alba Longa. 
— 13. Cervice. "With the blood that streams from its wounded neck." 
— Te nihil attinet, &c. "It is unnecessary for thee, if thou crown thy 
little Lares with rosemary and the pliant myrtle, to seek to propitiate 
their favour with the abundant slaughter of victims." The Lares stood 
in the atrium or hall of the dwelling. On festivals they were crowned 
with garlands and sacrifices were offered to them. Consult note on 
Ode 1. 7. 11. — 16. Fragili. We have ventured to give the epithet fra- 
gili here the meaning of "pliant," though it is due to candour to state, 
that this signification of the term has been much disputed. Consult 
Mitscherlich ad. loc. — 18. Non sumtuosa blandior hostia, &c. " Not ren- 
dered more acceptable by a costly sacrifice, it is wont to appease," &c. 
i. e. it appeases the gods as effectually as if a costly sacrifice were of- 
fered. — 20. Farre pio et saliente mica. " With the pious cake and the 
crackling salt." Alluding to the salted cake (mola salsa,) composed of 
bran or meal mixed with salt, which was sprinkled on the head of the 
victim. 



Ode 24. The bard inveighs bitterly against the luxury and licentious- 
ness of the age, and against the unprincipled cupidity by which they were 
constantly accompanied. A contrast is drawn between the pure and sim- 
ple manners of barbarian nations and the unbridled corruption of his coun- 
trymen, and Augustus is implored to save the empire by interposing a bar- 
rier to the inundation of vice. 

1 — 15. 1. Intaciis opulentior, &c. The construction is as follows: 
" Licet, opulentior intactis thesauris Jlrabum et divitis India, occupes omne 
Tyrrhenum et Apulicum mare tuis camentis, tamen si dira Necessitasfigit," 
&c " Though, wealthier than the yet unrifled treasures of the Arabians 



372 EXPLANATORY NOTES, BOOK III. ODE XXIV. 

and of rich India, thou coverest with thy structures all the Tuscan 
and Apulian seas, still, if cruel Destiny once fixes her spikes of adamant 
in thy head, thou wilt not free thy breast from fear, thou wilt not extricate 
thy life from the snares of death." The epithet intaclus, applied to the 
treasures of the East, refers to their being as yet free from the grasp of 
Roman power. — 3. Camejitis. The term cccmenta literally means "stones 
for filling up." Here, however, it refers to the structures reared on these 
artificial foundations. — 4. Tyrrliemim omne, &c. The Tyrrhenian denotes 
the lower, the Apulian, the upper or Adriatic, sea. — 6. Summis verlicibus. 
The meaning, which we have assigned to this expression, is sanctioned by 
some of the best commentators, and is undoubtedly the true one. Dacier, 
however, and ethers, understand by it the tops or pinnacles of villas. 
Sanadon applies it in a moral sense to the rich and powerful, ("les fortunes 
les plus elevens,") while Bentley takes verlicibus to denote the heads ot 
spikes, so that summis verlicibus will mean, according to him, " up to the 
very head," and the idea intended to be conveyed by the poet will be, 
" sic clavos figit necessitas summis verticibus, ut nulla vi evelli possint." 
— 9. Campestres melius Scythce, &c. "A happier life lead the Scythians, 
that roam along the plains, whose waggons drag, according to the custom 
of the race, their wandering abodes." An allusion to the Scythian mode 
of living in waggons. — 10. Rite. Compare the explanation of Doring: "ut 
fert coram mos el vita ratio." — 11. liigidi GeUc. " The hardy Geta?." The 
Geta? originally occupied the tract of country which had the Danube to the 
north, the range of Hseinus to the south, the Euxine to the east, and the 
Crobyzian Thracians to the west. It was within these limits that Hero- 
dotus knew them. Afterwards, however, being dislodged, probably by 
the Macedonian arms, they crossed the Danube, and pursued their 
Nomadic mode of life in the steppes between the Danube and the Tyras,or 
Dneister. — 12. Immetajugera. "Unmeasured acres," i. e. unmarked by 
boundaries. Alluding to ihc land being in common. — Libcras fruges et 
Cererem. " A harvest free to all." Cererem is here merely explanatory 
of fruges. — 14. JVTsc cuftura placet, &c. "Nor does a culture longer than 
an annual one please them." Alluding to their annual change of abode. 
Compare Caesar's account of the Germans, B. G. 6. 22. — 15. Defunctum- 
que laborious, &c. " And a successor, upon equal terms, relieves him 
who has ended his labours of a year." 

17 — 40. 17. Illic matre carentibus, &c. There the wife, a stranger to 
guilt, treats kindly the children of a previous marriage, deprived of a mo- 
ther's care," i. e. is kind to her motherless step-children. — 19. Dotala con- 
jux. "The dowered spouse." — 20. Nitido adultero. "The gay adul- 
terer." — 21. Dos est magna parentium, &c. A noble sentence, but re- 
quiring, in order to be clearly understood, a translation bordering upon 
paraphrase. " With them, a rich dowry consists in the virtue instilled by 
parental instruction, and in chastity, shrinking from the addresses of an- 
other, while it firmly adheres to the marriage compact, as well as in the 
Conviction that to violate this compact is an offence against the laws of 
heaven, or that the punishment due to its commission is instant death." — 
27. Pater Urbium subscribi statuis. "To be inscribed on the pedestals of 
statues as the Father of his country." An allusion to Augustus, and to the 
title of Pater Patrice conferred on him by the public voice. — 28. Indomi- 
tam licentiam. " Our hitherto ungovernable licentiousness."— 30. Clarus 
postgenitis. "Illustrious for this to after-ages." — Q,uatenus. " Since." — 
31. Virtutem incolumem. " Merit, while it remains with us," i. e. illustri- 
ous men, while alive. — 32. Invidi. Compare the remark of the scholiast, 
'f Vere enim per invidiam jit, ut boni viri, cum amissi sint, desiderentur." — 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE XXV. 373 

34. Cidpa. "Crime." — 35. Sine moribus. "Without public morals to 
enforce them." — 36. Si neque fervidis, &c. An allusion to the torrid zone. 
Consurt note on Ode, 1. 22. 22. — 38. Nee Borece finitimum latus. "Nor 
the region bordering on the North." — 39. Polo. The common text has 
solo. — 40. Horrida callidi, &c. "If the skilfull mariners triumph over the 
stormy seas ? If narrow circumstances, now esteemed a great disgrace, 
bid us," &c. 

45 — 53 45. Velnosin Capitolium, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is this ; if we sincerely repent of the luxury and vice that have 
tarnished the Roman name, if we desire another and a better state of 
things, let us either carry our superfluous wealth to the Capitol and con- 
secrate it to the gods, or let us cast it as a thing accursed into the near- 
est sea. The words in Capitolium are thought by some to contain a 
flattering allusion to a remarkable act. on the part of Augustus, in dedi- 
cating a large amount of treasure to the Capitoline Jove. (Suet. Aug. 
30.)— 46. Faventium. "Of our applauding fellow-citizens." — 47. In 
mare proodmum. Things accursed were wont to be thrown into the sea, 
or the nearest running water. — 49. Materiem. "The germs." — 51. 
Eradenda. " Are to be eradicated." — 52. Tenercenimis. "Enervated by 
indulgence." — 54. Nescit equo,rudis. &c. " The freeborn youth, trained 
up in ignorance of manly accomplishments, knows not how to retain his 
seat on the steed, and fears to hunt." Among the Romans, those who 
were born of parents that had always been free were styled ingenui. — 
57. Grceco trocho. The trochus (rpdxos) was a circle of brass or iron, set 
round with rings, and with which young men and boys used to amuse 
themselves. It was borrowed from the Greeks and resembled the mo- 
dern hoop. — 58. Seumalis. " Or, if thou prefer." Vetila legibus alea. All 
games of chance were forbidden among the Romans except at the cele- 
bration of the Saturnalia. These laws, however were not strictly ob- 
served. 

59 — 62 59. Per jura patris fides. " His perjured and faithless parent." 
— 60. Consortem, socium, et hospitem. " His co-heir, his partner, and 
the stranger with whom he deals. "We have here given the explana- 
tion of Bentley. — 61. Indignoque pecuniam, &c. " And hastens to amass 
wealth for an heir unworthy of enjoying it." — 62. Scilicet improbce cres- 
cunt divitix, &c. " Riches, dishonestly acquired, increase it is true, 
yet something or other is ever wanting to what seems an imperfect for- 
tune in the eyes of its possessor. 



Ode 25. A beautiful dithyrambic ode in honour of Augustus. The 
bard, full of poetic enthusiasm, fancies himself borne along amid woods 
and wilds to celebrate, in some distant cave, the praises of the monarch. 
Then, like another Bacchanalian, he awakes from the trance-like feel- 
ings into which he had been thrown, and gazes, with wonder upon the 
scenes that lie before him. An invocation to Bacchus succeeds, and 
allusion is again made to the strains in which the praises of Augustus 
are to be poured forth to the world. 

1 — 19. 1. Tui plenum. "Full of thee," i. e. of thy inspiration. — 3. 
Velox mente nova. "Moving swiftly under the influence of an altered 
mind." Nova refers to the change wrought by the inspiration of the god. 
Quibus antris, &c. The construction is as follows : " hn quibus antris 



S74 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XXVI. 

audiar meditans inserere, &c, — 5. Meditans inserere. " Essaying to en- 
roll." Meditans refers to exercise and practice, on the part of the bard, 
before a full and perfect effort is publicly made. — 6. Consilio Jovis. Al- 
luding to the twelve Dii Consentes or Majores. — 7. Dicam insigne, &c. 
"I will send forth a lofty strain, new, as yet unuttered by other lips." 
The pleonastic turn of expression in "reccns adliuc indicium ore alio," 
accords with the wild and irregular nature of the whole piece. — 8- Non 
seats in jugis, &c. " So the Bacchanal, awakening from sleep, stands 
lost in stupid astonishment on the mountain-tops, beholding in the dis- 
tance the Hebrus, and Thrace white with snow, and Rhodope traversed 
by barbarian foot." The poet, recovering from the strong influence of 
the god, and surveying with alarm the arduous nature of the theme to 
which he has dared to approach, compares himself to the Bacchant, 
whom the stern power of the deity, that she serves, has driven onward, 
in blind career, through many a strange and distant region. Awaken- 
ing- from the deep slumber into which exhausted nature had at length 
been compelled to sink, she finds herself, when returning recollection 
comes to her aid, on the remote mountain-tops, far from her native 
scenes, and gazes in silent wonder on the prospect before her ; the dark 
Hebrus, the snow-clad fields of Thrace, and the chain of Rhodope rear- 
ing its summits to the skies. Few passages can be cited from any an- 
cient or modern writer containing more of the true spirit of poetry. — 10. 
Hebrum. The modern name of the Hebrus is the Maritza. — 12. Rhodoperu 
Rhodope, now Dervent, was a Thracian chain, lying along the north- 
eastern borders of Macedonia. — 22. Ut mild devio, &c. "How it delights 
me, as I wander far from the haunts of men." — 13. Vacuum nemus. 
"The lonely grove." — 14. ONaiadum potens, &c. " O god of the Naiads, 
and of the Bacchantes, powerful enough to tearup &c. — 19. Lenace. 
" O god of the wine press." The epithet Lenceus comes from the Greek 
Ai/vaioy, wich is itself a derivative from \rjvbs " a wine press." — Mitscher- 
lich well explains the concluding idea of this ode, which lies couched under 
the figurative language employed by the bard. " Ad argumentum carmi- 
nis, si postrema transferas, erit : Projectissimx quidem audacim est, Au- 
gustum celebrare; sed aleajacta eslo." 



Ode 26. The bard, overcome by the arrogance and disdain of Chloe, 
resolves no longer to be led captive by the power of love. 

1 — 11. 1. Vixi pueUis, &c. The scene is laia in a part of the temple of 
Venus ; and the bard, while uttering his invocation to the goddess, offers 
up to her his lyre, together with the "funalia," the "vectes," and the 
" harpce," as a soldier after the years of his military service are ended, 
consecrates his arms to the god of battles. It was customary with the 
ancients, when they discontinued any art, to offer up the instruments con- 
nected with it to the deity under whose auspices that art had been pursued. 
— 3. Jlrma. What these were the poet himself mentions in the 7th 
verse. — Defunctum kello. " Discharged from the warfare of love." Com- 
pare Ovid, Jim. 1. 9. 1. "Militat omnis amans, et habet sua castra Cu- 
pido." — 5. Lcevum marina, &c. "Which guards the left side of sea-born 
Venus." The wall, on which he intends to hang tire instruments of his 
revelry, is to the left of the statue of the goddess, and to the right of the wor- 
shippers as they enter the temple. — 6. Ponite. Addressed to his attend- 
ants. — 7. Funalia. " Torches," carried before the young to light them 
to the scene of their revels. The term properly denotes torches made of 
small ropes or cords, and covered with wax or tallow. — Vectes. " Bars," 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE XXVII. 375 

either of iron or wood, to force open their mistresses' doors if closed 
against them. — Harpas. " Swords," to be used against the doors if the 
vectes proved insufficient. They were well adapted for such a purpose, 
being heavy, short, and curved. We have here adopted Cuningam's 
reading. The common text has arcus, and Bentley suggests securesque. 
— 9. Beatam. " Rich." Alluding to the flourishing commerce of the 
island. — 10. Memphin. Memphis, a celebrated city of Egypt, on the left 
side of the Nile, and, according to D'Anville, about fifteen miles above 
the apex of the Delta. It was the capital after Thebes. — Sithonia nive. 
Consult note on Ode 1. 18. 9. — 11. Sublimi flagello, &c. " Give one 
blow with uplifted lash to the arrogant Chloe ;" i. e. chastise her with but 
one blow, and her arrogance will be humbled. 



Ode 27. Addressed to Galatea, whom the poet seeks to dissuade 
from a voyage which she intended to make during the stormy season of 
the year. The train of ideas is as follows: "I will not seek to deter 
thee from the journey on which thou art about to enter, by recounting 
evil omens ; I will rather pray to the gods that no danger may come 
nigh thee, and that thou mayest set out under the most favourable aus- 
pices. Yet, Galatea, though the auguries forbid not thy departure, 
think, I entreat, of the many perils which at this particular season are 
brooding over the deep. Beware lest the mild aspect of the deceitful 
skies lead thee astray, and lest, like Europa, thou become the victim of 
thy own imprudence." The poet then dwells upon the story of Europa, 
and with this the ode terminates. 

1 — 15. 1. Impios parrm, &c. " May the ill-omened cry of the noisy 
screech-owl accompany the wicked on their way." The leading idea 
in the first three stanzas is as follows : Let evil omens accompany the 
wicked alone, and may those that attend the departure of her for whose 
safety I am solicitous, be favourable and happy ones. — 2. Agro Lanu- 
vino. Lanuvium was situate to the right of the Appian way, on a hill 
commanding an extensive prospect towards Antium and the sea. Aa 
the Appian way was the direct route to the port of Brundisium, the ani- 
mal mentioned in the text would cross the path of those who travelled 
in that direction. — 5. Rumpat et serpens, &c. "Let a serpent also in- 
terrupt the journey just begun, if, darting like an arrow athwart the 
way, it has terrified the horses." Mannus means properly a small horse, 
or nag, and is thought to be a term of Gallic origin. — 7. Ego cui timebo, 
&c. The construction is as follows : Providus auspex, suscitabo prece 
illi, cui ego timebo, oscinem corvum ab ortu solis, antequam avis divina im- 
viinentium imbriwn repetat stantes paludes. "A provident augur, I will 
call forth by prayer, on account of her for whose safety I feel anxious, 
the croaking raven from the eastern heavens, before the bird that pre- 
sages approaching rains shall revisit the standing pools." Among 
the Romans, birds that gave omens by their notes were called Oscines, 
and those from whose flight auguries were drawn received the appella- 
tion of Prccpetcs. The cry of the raven, when heard from the east, was 
deemed favourable. — 10. Imbrium divina avis imminentum. The crow 
is here meant. — 13. Sis licet felix. "Mayest thou be happy." The 
train of ideas is as follows : I oppose not thy wishes, Galatea, It is per- 
mitted thee, as far as depends on me, or on the omens which I am 
taking, to be happy wherever it may please thee to dwell. — 15. Lccvus 
picus. " A wood-pecker on th6 left." When the Romans made omens 
35 



376 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III. ODE XXVII. 

on the left unlucky, as in the present instance, they spoke in accordance 
with the Grecian custom. The Grecian augurs, when they made ob- 
servations, kept their faces towards the north ; hence they had the east 
or lucky quarter of the heavens on their right hand, and the west on 
their left. On the contrary, the Romans, making observations with 
their faces to the south, had the east upon their left hand, and the west 
upon their right Both sinister and lavus, therefore have, when we 
speak Romano more, the meaning of lucky, fortunate, &c. and the op 
posite import when we speak Grozco more. 

17 — 39. 17. Quanto trepidet tumultu, &C. " With what a loud and 
stormy noise the setting Orion hastens to his rest;" i. e. what tempests 
are preparing to burst forth, now that Orion sets. Consult note on Ode 
1. 28. 21. — 19. Novi. Alluding to his own personal experience. He 
knows the dangers of the Adriatic because he has seen them. — Et quid 
albus peccet Iapy.v. "And how deceitful the serene Iapyx is." As re- 
gards the epithet albns, compare Ode 1. 7. 15; and, with regard to the 
term Iapyx, consult note on Ode 1. 3. 4. — 21. Ccccos motus. " The dark 
commotions." — 24. Verbere. "Beneath the lashing of the surge." Un- 
derstand ftuctuum. — 25. Sic. " With the same rashness." — Europe* 
The Greek form for Europa. — 26. At scatentem bdluis, &c. " But, 
though bold before, she now grew pale at the deep, teeming with mon- 
sters, and at the fraud and danger that every where met the view."' 
The term fraudes, in this passage, denotes properly danger resulting tr> 
an individual from fraud and artifice on the part of another, a meaning 
which we have endeavoured to express. — 28. Palluit. This verb here 
obtains a transitive force, because an action i3 implied, though not de- 
scribed in it. — JIudax. Alluding to her rashness, at the outset, in trust- 
ing herself to the back of the bull. — 30. Debitiz Nymphis. " Due to the 
nymphs," in fulfilment of a vow. — 31. JVode sublustn. "Amid the 
feebly-illumined night." The stars alone appearing in the heavens. 
— 33. Centum potentem urbibus. Compare Homer, II. 2. 649. — 35. Pie- 
tasque victa furore. "And filial affection triumphed over by frantic 
folly." — 38. Vigilans. "In my waking senses." — 39. Jin vilio carentem y 
&c. " Or, does some delusive image, which a dream, escaping from 
the ivory gate, brings with it, mock me still free from the stain of guilt?" 
In the Odyssey (19. 562. seqq.), mention is made of two gates through 
which dreams issue, the one of horn, the other of ivory: the visions of 
the night that pass through the former are true ; through the latter, 
false. To this poetic imagery Horace here alludes. 

47 — 75. 47. Modo. " But a moment ago." — 48. Monstri. A. mere 
expression of resentment and not referring, as some commentators have 
supposed, to the circumstance of Jove's having been concealed under the 
form of the animal, since Europa could not as yet be at all aware of this. 
— 49. Impudens liqni, &c. " Shamelessly have I abandoned a father's 
roof ; shamelessly do 1 delay the death that I deserve." — 54. Ttnera 
prcedce. The dative, by a Graecism, for the ablative. — Succus. "The 
tide of life."— 55. Speciosa. " While still in the bloom of early years," 
and hence a more inviting prey. So nuda in the 52d line. — 57. Vilis 
Europe. She fancies she hears her father upbraiding her, and the ad- 
dress of the angry parent is continued to the word pellex in the 66th line. 
— Pater urget absens. A pleasing oxymoron. The father of Europa 
appears as if present to her disordered mind, though in reality far away, 
and angrily urges her to atone for her dishonour by a voluntary and 
immediate death. " Thy father^ though far away, angrily urging thee ? 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XXVIII. 377 

seems to exclaim." The student will mark the zeugma in urguet, which 
is here equivalent to acriter insistens clamat. — 59. Zona bene te secuta, 
" With the girdle that has luckily accompanied thee." — 61. Acuta leto. 
" Sharp with death," i. e. on whose sharp projections death may easily 
be found. — 62. Te procellce crede veloci. "Consign thyself to the rapid 
blast," i. e. plunge headlong down. — 67. Remisso arcu. As indicative of 
having accomplished his object. — 69. Ubi lusit satis. " When she had 
sufficiently indulged her mirth." — 70. Irarum calidceque rixce. The ge- 
nitive, by a G racism, for the ablative. — 71. Quum tibi invisus, &c. Venus 
here alludes to the intended appearance of Jove in his proper form. — 73. 
Uxor invicti Jovis, &c. " Thou knowest not, it seems, that thou art the 
bride of resistless Jove." The nominative, with the infinitive, by a 
Graecism, the reference being to the same person that forms the subject 
of the verb. — 75. Sectus orbis. " A division of the globe." Literally, "the 
globe, being divided." 



Ode 28. The poet, intending to celebrate the Neptunalia, or festival 
of Neptune, bids Lyde bring the choice Crecuban and join him in song, 
■ — The female to whom the piece is addressed, is thought to have been 
the same with the one mentioned in the eleventh ode of this book, and it 
is supposed, 'by most commentators, that the entertainment took place 
under her roof. We are inclined, however, to adopt the opinion, that the 
day was celebrated in the poet's abode, and that Lyde was now the su- 
perintendent of his household. 

1 — 16. 1. Festo die Neptuni. The Neptunalia, or festival of Nep- 
tune, took place on the 5th day before the Kalends of August (28th Ju- 
ly). — 2. Reconditum. " Stored far away in the vault." The allusion is 
to old wine laid up in the farther part of the crypt. Compare Ode 2. 3. 
8. — 3. Lyde strenua. " My active Lyde." Some commentators, by a 
change of punctuation, refer strenua, in an adverbial sense, to prome. — ■ 
4. Munitceque adhibe, &c. " And do violence to thy guarded wisdom," 
i. e. bid farewell, for this once, to moderation in wine. The poet, by a 
pleasing figure, bids her storm the camp of sobri-ety, and drive away its 
accustomed defenders. — 5. Jnclinare sentis, &c. " Thou seest that the 
noontide is inclining towards the west," i. e. that the day begins to de- 
cline. — 7. Parcis deripere horreo, &c. " Dost thou delay to hurry down 
from the wine-room the lingering amphora of the Consul Bibulus i. e. 
which contains wine made, as the mark declares, in the consulship of Bi- 
bulus, ( A. U. C . 694.) The epithet cessantem beautifully expresses the im- 
patience of the poet himself. — The lighter wines, or such as lasted only 
from one vintage to another, were kept in cellars; but the stronger and 
more durable kinds were transferred to another apartment, which the 
Greeks called d™0(;/o7, or iriQibv, and the poet, on the present occasion, 
horreum. With the Romans, it was generally placed above the fumari- 
um, or drying-kiln, in order that the vessels might be exposed to such a 
degree of smoke as was calculated to bring the wines to an early matu- 
rity. — 9. Invicem. "In alternate strain." The poet is to chaunt the 
praises of Neptune, and Lyde those of the Nereids. — 10. Virides. Al- 
luding to the colour of the sea.— 12. Cynthia. Diana, an epithet derived 
from mount Cynthus in Delos, her native island. — 13. Summo carmine, 
&c. " At the conclusion of the strain, we will sing together of the god- 
dess, who," &c. The allusion is to Venus.— Guidon. Consult note on 
Ode 1. 30. 1.— 14. Fulgentes Cyclades. "The Cyclades conspicuous 



378 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK III. ODE XXIX. 

from afar." Consult note on Ode 1. 14. 20. — Paphon. Consult note on 
Ode 1. 30. 1. — 15. Junctii oloribus. "With her yoked swans." In her 
car drawn by swans. — 16. Dicetur merita, &c. " Night too shall be ce- 
lebrated, in a hymn due to her praise." The term nania is beautifully 
selected here, though much of its peculiar meaning is lost in a transla- 
tion. As the ncenia, or funeral dirge, marked the close of existence, so 
here the expression is applied to the hymn that ends the banquet, and 
whose low and plaintive numbers invite to repose. 



Ode 29. One of the most beautiful lyric productions of all antiquity. 
The bard invites his patron to spend a few days beneath his humble roof, 
far from splendour and affluence, and from the noise and confusion of a 
crowded capital. He bids him dismiss, for a season, that anxiety for the 
public welfare, in which he was but too prone to indulge, and tells him to 
enjoy the blessings of the present hour, and leave the events of the future 
to the wisdom of the gods. That man, according to the poet, is alone truly 
happy, who can say, as each evening closes around him, that he has en- 
joyed, in a becoming manner, the good things which the day has bestow- 
ed ; nor can even Jove himself deprive him of this satisfaction. The surest 
aid against the mutability of Fortune is conscious integrity, and he who 
possesses this, need not tremble at the tempest that dissipates the wealth 
of the trader. 

1 — 19. 1. Tyrrhena return progenies. " Descendant of Etrurian rulers." 
Maecenas was descended from Elbius Volterrenus, one of the Lucumones 
of Etruria, who fell in the battle at the lake Vadimona, (A. U. C. 445.) 
— According to a popular tradition among the Romans, and the accounts 
of several ancient writers, Etruria received the germs of civilization from a 
Lydian colony. This emigration was probably a Pelasgic one. — Tibi. 
" In reserve for thee." — 2. JV'an ante verso. " Never as yet turned to be 
emptied of any part of its contents," i. e. as yet unbroached. The al- 
lusion is to the simplest mode practised among the Romans for drawing 
off the contents of a wine-vessel, by inclining it to one side and tfvas pour- 
ing out the liquor. — 4. Balanus. "Perfume." The name balanus, or 
myrcbdanum, was given by the ancients to a species of nut, from which a 
valuable unguent or perfume was extracted. — 5. Eripe te mora. "Snatch 
thyself from delay," i. e. from every thing in the city that may seek to de- 
tain thee there : from all the engrossing cares of public life. — 6. Ut semper 
udum. The common text has ne semper udwm, which involves an absur- 
dity. How could Maecenas, at Rome, contemplate Tibur, which was 
twelve or sixteen miles off? — Tibur. Consult note on Ode 1. 7. 13. — 
Jlesula declive solum. " The sloping soil of Aesula." This town is sup- 
posed to have stood in the vicinity of Tibur, and from the language of the 
poet must have been situate on the slope of a hill. — 8. Telegoni juga parri- 
cidce. Alluding to the ridge of hills on which Tusculum was situated. 
This city is said to have been founded by Telegonus, son of Ulysses and 
Circe, who came hither after having killed his father without knowing 
him. — 9. Fastiiiosam. " Productive only of disgust." The poet entreats 
his patron to leave for a season that "abundance," which, ivhen uninter- 
rupted, is productive only of disgust. — 10. Molem propinquam, &c. Al- 
ludingto the mrgnificent villa of Maecenas, on the Esquiline hill, to which 
a tower adjoined remarkable for its height. — 11. Beatce, Romoz. "Of opu- 
lent Rome."— 13. Vices. "Change." — 14. Parvo sub lare. "Beneath 
the humble roof." — 15. Sine aulozis et ostro. "Without hangings* and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK III. ODE XXIX. 379 

without the purple covering of the couch." Literally, " without hangings 
and purple." The aulcea, or hangings, were suspended from the ceilings 
and side-walls of the banqueting rooms. — 16. Soiicitam explicuere fontem. 
"Have smoothed the anxious brow." Have removed or unfolded the 
wrinkles of care. — 17. Clarus Jlndromedce pater. Cepheus ; thenameofa 
constellation near the tail of the little bear. It rose on the 9th of July, 
and is here taken by the poet to mark the arrival of the summer heats. — 
Occullum ostendit ignem. Equivalent to oritur. — 18. Procyon. A con- 
stellation rising just before the dog-star. Hence its name HpoKvuv Upb 
ante and kvwv canis) and its Latin appellation of antecanis. — 19. Stella 
vesani Leonis. A star on the breast of Leo, rising on the 24th July. The 
sun enters into Leo on the 20th of the same month. 

22 — 64. 22. Horridi dumeta Silvani. "The thickets of the rough Sil- 
vanus." The epithet horridus refers to his crown of reeds and the rough 
pine-branch which he carries in his hands. — 24. Ripataciturna. A beau- 
tiful allusion to the stillness of the atmosphere. — 25. Tu civitatem quis 
deceat status, ike. "Thou, in the mean time, art anxiously considering 
what condition of affairs may be most advantageous to the state." Al- 
luding to his office of Prcefectus Urbis. — 27. Seres. The name by which 
the inhabitants of China were known to the Romans. — Regnata Bactra 
Cyro. "Bactra, ruled over by an eastern king." Bactra, the capital of 
Bactriana, is here put for the whole Parthian empire. — 28. Tanaisque 
discors. " And the Tanais, whose banks are the seat of discord." Al- 
luding to the dissensions among the Parthians. Consult note on Ode 3. 
8. 19. — 29. Prudens futuri, &c. "A wise deity shrouds in gloomy night 
the events of the future, and smiles if a mortal is solicitous beyond the 
law of his being." — 32. Quod adest memento, &c. " Remember to make a 
proper use of the present hour." — 33. Cetera. " The future." Referring 
to those things that are not under our controul, but are subject to the ca- 
price of fortune or the power of destiny. The mingled good and evil 
which the future has in store, and the vicissitudes of life generally, are 
compared to the course of a stream, at one time troubled, at another calm 
and tranquil. — 41. Ille pot ens sui, &c. "That man will live master of 
himself." — 42. In diem. " Each day." — 43. Vixi. "I have lived," i.e. 
I have enjoyed, as they should be. enjoyed, the blessings of existence. — 
44. Occupato. A zeugma operates in this verb : in the first clause it has 
the meaning of " to shroud," in the second "to illumine." — 46. Quodcnn- 
que retro est. " Whatever is gone by." — 47. Diffinget infectumque reddet. 
" Will he change and undo." — 49. Savo lata negotio, &c. " Exulting in 
her cruel employment, and persisting in playing her haughty game." — 53. 
Manentem. " While she remains." — 54. Resigno qucz dedit. " I resign 
what she once bestowed." Resigno is here used in the sense of rescribo, 
and the latter is a term borrowed from the Roman law. When an indi- 
vidual borrowed a sum of money, the amount received and the borrower's 
name were written in the banker's books ; and when the money was re- 
paid, another entry was made. Hence scribere nummos " to borrow ;" 
rescribere, "to pay back." — Mea virtute me involvo. The wise man 
wraps himself up in the mantle of his own integrity, and bids defiance to 
the storms and changes of fortune. — 57. JVbn est meum. " It is not for 
me." It is no employment of mine. — 59. Et votis pacisci. "And to 
strive to bargain by my vows." — 62. Turn. "At such a time as this." — 
64. Aura geminusque Pollux. " A favouring breeze, and the twin-brothers 
Castor and Pollux. Consult note on Ode 1. 3. 2. 



380 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE L 

Ode 30. The poet's presage of immortality. — It is generally supposed 
that Horace intended this as a concluding piece for his odes, and with 
this opinion the account given by Suetonius appears to harmonise, since 
we are informed by this writer, iii his life of the poet, that the fourth book 
of Odes was added, after a long interval of time, to the first three books, 
by order of Augustus. 

1 — 16. 1. Exegi monimcntum, &c. "I have reared a memorial of 
myself more enduring than brass." Compare the beautiful lines of Ovid, 
at the conclusion of the metamorphoses. "Jamque opus exegi quod nee 
Jovis ira, ncc ignes," &c. — 2. Jtegalique situ, &c. " And loftier tnan the 
regal structure of the pyramids." — 3. Imber edax. " The corroding 
shower." — i. Innumerabilis annorum series, &c. "The countless series 
of years, and the flight of ages." — 7. Libitinam. Venus Libitina, at 
Rome, was worshipped as the goddess that presided over funerals. When 
Horace says, that he will escape Libitina, he means the oblivion of the 
grave. — 7. Usque recens. " Ever fresh," i. e. ever blooming with the fresh 
graces of youth. — 8. Bum Capilolium, &c. Every month, according to 
Varro, solemn sacrifices were offered up in the Capkol. Hence the 
meaning of the poet is, that so long as this shall be done, so long will his 
fame continue. To a Roman the Capitol seemed destined for eternity. — 
10. Dicar. To be joined in construction with princeps deduxisse. "1 
shall be celebrated as the first that brought down, &c. — Jlufidus. A very 
rapid stream in Apulia, now the Ofanto. — 11. Et qua pauper aquoz, &c. 
"And where Daunus, scantily supplied with water, ruled over a rustic 
population." The allusion is still to Apulia, and the expression pauper 
aqua: refers to the summer heats of that country. Consult note on Ode 
1. -2-2. 13. — 12. Regnavit populorum. An imitation of the Greek idiom, 
#p£t \adv. — Ex humili potens. "I, become powerful from a lowly degree." 
Alluding to the humble origin and subsequent advancement of the bard. 
— 13. JEolium carmen. A general allusion to the lyric poets of Greece, 
but containing at the same time a more particular reference to Alcteus 
and Sappho, both writers in the JEolic dialect. — 14. Deduxisse, A figure 
borrowed from the leading down of streams to irrigate the adjacent 
fields. The stream of Lyric verse is drawn down by Horace from the 
heights of Grecian poesy to irrigate and refresh the humbler literature of 
Rome.— 15. Delphica lauro. " With Apollo's bays." — 16. Volens. "Pro- 
pitiously." 



BOOK IV. 



Ode 1. The poet, after a Ions: interval of time, gives to the world hia 
fourth book of Odes, in compliance with the order of Augustus, and 
the following piece is intended as an introductory effusion. The Mother 
of the Loves is entreated to spare one whom age is now claiming for its 
own, and to transfer her empire to a worthier subject, the gay, and 
youthful, and accomplished Maximus. The invocation, however, only 
shows, and indeed is only meant to show, that advancing years had 
brought with them no change in the feelings and habits of the bard. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV. ODE II. 381 

2—36. 2. Bella. Compare Ode 3. 26. 2. 3. — Bona. Horace appears to 
intimate by this epithet, that the affection entertained for him by Cinara, 
was rather pure and disinterested than otherwise. Compare Epist. 1. 
14. 33. — 6. Circa lustra decern, &c. " To bend to thy sway one aged 
about ten lustra, now intractable to thy soft commands." A lustrum em- 
braced a period of five years. — 8. Blandce, preces. " The soothing pray- 
ers." — 9. Tempestivius in domum, &c. " M ore seasonably, moving 
swiftly onward with thy swans of fairest hue, shalt thou go to the home 
of Paulus Maximus, there to revel." The allusion is probably to Pau- 
lus Fabius Maximus, who was afterwards consul with duintus Aelius 
Tubero, A. U. C. 743. — In domum commissabere. The student will note 
this construction : the ablative in domo would imply that the goddess was 
already there. — 10. Purpureis ales oloribus. The allusion is to the chariot 
of Venus, drawn by swans ; and hence the term ales is, by a bold and 
beautiful figure, applied to the goddess herself, meaning literally 
" winged." As regards purpureis, it must be remarked that the ancients 
called any strong and vivid colour by the name of purpureus, because 
that was their richest colour. Thus we have purpurea coma, purpureus 
capillus, lumen juventa purpureum, &c. Compare Virgil, Aen. 1. 591. 
Albinovanus (El. 2. 62.) even goes so far as to apply the term to snoio. 
The usage of modern poetry is not dissimilar. Thus Spencer, "the 
Morrow next appeared with purple hair,,'? and Milton, " waves his purple 
wings." So also Gray, " the bloom of young desire and purple light of 
love." — 15. Et centum puer artium. " And a youth of an hundred ac- 
complishments. — 17. Quandoque. "Whenever." For Quandocunque. 
— Potentior. " More successful than," i. e. triumphing over. — 20. Sw& 
trabe citrea. "Beneath a citron dome." The expression trabe citrea 
does not refer to the entire roof, but merely to that part which formed 
the centre, where the beams met, and which rose in the form of a buck- 
ler. An extravagant value was attached by the Romans to citron wood. 
— 22. Duces. " Shalt thou inhale." — Berecyntia. Consult note on Ode 
1. 18. 13. — 24. Mixtis carminibus. " With the mingled harmony." — 28. 
Solium. Consult note on Ode 1. 36. 12. — 30. Spes animi credula mutui. 
" The credulous hope of mutual affection," i. e. the fond but fallacious 
hope that my affection will be returned. — 34. Rara. "Imperceptibly." 
35. Cur facunda parum decoro, &c. The order is, cur facunda lingua 
cadit inter verba parum decoro silentio. — A Synapheia takes place in decoro, 
the last syllable ro being elided before Inter at the beginning of the next 
line. — 36. Cadit. Cado has here the meaning of " to falter." 



Ode 2. The Sygambri, Usipetes, and Tenctheri, who dwelt beyond 
the Rhine, having made frequent inroads into the Roman territory, Au- 
gustus proceeded against them, and, by the mere terror of his name, 
compelled them to sue for peace. (Dio Cassius, 54. 20. — vol. 1. p. 750. 
ed. Reimar.) Horace is therefore requested by lulus Antonius, the 
same year in which this event took place, (A. U. C. 738.) to celebrate 
in Pindaric strain the successful expedition of the emperor and his ex- 
pected return to the capital. The poet, however, declines the task, and 
alleges want of talent as an excuse ; but the very language in which 
this plea is conveyed shows how well qualified he was to execute the 
undertaking from which he shrinks. 

lulus Antonius was the son of Marc Antony and Fulvia. He stood 
high in favour of Augustus, and received from him his sister's daughter 
in marriage. After having filled, however, some of the most important 



SS2 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IT. ODE H. 

offices in the state, he engaged in an intrigue with Julia, the daughter of 
the emperor, and was put to death by order of the latter. According to 
Velleius Paterculus (2. 100.) he fell by his own hand. It would appear 
that he had formed a plot, along with the notorious female just men- 
tioned, against the life of Augustus. 

1 — 11. I. JEmidaru "To rival." — 2. Iule. To be pronounced as a 
dissyllable, yu-le. Consult remarks on Sapphic verse, p. xxiii. in notis. 
■ — Ceratis ope Dadalea. " Secured with wax by Daedalean art." An 
allusion to the well-known fable of Dasdalus and Icarus. — 3. Vitreo da- 
turns, &c. "Destined to give a name to the sparkling deep." Vitreo 
is here rendered by some " azure," but incorrectly ; the idea is borrowed 
from the sparkling of glass. — 5. Monte. "From some mountain." — 
6. Nolus ripas. " Its accustomed banks." — 7. Fernet immensusque, &.c. 
" Pindar foams, and rushes onward with the vast and deep tide of song." 
The epithet immensus refers to the rich exuberance, and projundo ore, 
to the sublimity, of the bard. — 9. Donandus. "Deserving of being 
gifted." — 10. Seu per audaces, &c. Horace here proceeds to enumerate 
the several departments of lyric verse, in all of which Pindar stands 
pre-eminent. These, are, 1. Diihyrambics. 2. Pozans, or hymns and 
encomiastic effusions. 3. Epinicia {eirtviKta) or songs of victory, com- 
posed in honour of the conquerors at the public games. — 4. Epicedia 
(hiKi'iitta) or funeral songs. Time has made fearful ravages in these 
celebrated productions : all that remain to us, with the exception of a 
few fragments, are forty-five of the fam/cta '(ftrfiara. — 10. Nova verba. 
" Strange imagery, and the forms of a novel style." Compare the ex 
planation of Mitschcrlich : " Compositione, junctiira, significatu denique 
innovata, cum novo oralionis habitu atque structura," and also that of Ddr- 
ing : " Novasententiarum lumina, nove effictas grandisonorwm verborum for- 
mulas." Horace alludes to the peculiar licence enjoyed by Dithyrambic 
poets, and more especially by Pindar, of forming novel compounds, 
introducing novel arrangements in the structure of their sentences, and 
of attaching to terms a boldness of meaning that almost amounts to a 
change of signification. Hence the epithet " daring,'''' (audaces) ap- 
plied to this species of poetry. Dithyrambics were originally odes in 
praise of Bacchus, and their very character shows their oriental origin. 
— 11. Numeris lege solutis. "In unshackled numbers." Alluding to 
the privilege, enjoyed by Dithyrambic poets, of passing rapidly and at 
pleasure from one measure to another. 

13 — 32. 13. Seudeos, regesve, &c. Alluding to the Pa? an s. The 
reges, deorum sanguinem, are the heroes of earlier times ; and the refer- 
«nce to the Centaurs and the Chimaera calls up the recollection of The- 
seus, Pirithous, and Bellerophon. — 17. Sive quos Elea, &c. Alluding 
to the Epinicia. — Elea p alma. " The Elean palm," i. e. the palm won 
at the Olympic games, on the banks of the Alpheus, in Elis. Consult 
note on Ode, 1. 1. 3. — IS. Ccelestes. " Elevated, in feeling, to the skies." 
— Equumve. Not only the conquerors at the games, but their horses 
also, were celebrated in song and honoured with statues. — 19. Centum 
potiore signis. " Superior to an hundred statues." Alluding to one of 
lyric effusions. — Flebili. " Weeping." Taken in an active sense. — 
Juvenemve. Strict Latinity requires that the enclitic be joined to the 
first word of a clause, unless that be a monosyllabic preposition. The 
present is the only instance in which Horace deviates from the rule. — 
22. Et vires animumque, &c. "And extols his strength, and courage, 
and unblemished morals to the stars, and rescues him from the oblivion 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IT. ODE HI. 333 

of the grave." Literally, "envies dark Orcus the possession of him." 
— 25. Multa Dircceum. " A swelling gale raises on high the Dirceean 
swan." An allusion to the strong, poetic flight of Pindar, who, as a 
native of Thebes in Bceotia, is here styled " Dircaean," from the foun- 
tain of Dirce situate near that city, and celebrated in the legend of Cad- 
mus. — 27. Ego apis Matinee, &c. "I, after the habit and manner of a 
Matinian bee." Consult note on Ode 1. 28. 3. — 29. Per labor em pluri- 
mum. "With assiduous toil." — 31. Tiburis. Alluding to his villa at 
Tibur. — 32. Fingo. The metaphor is well kept up by this verb, which 
has peculiar reference to the labours of the bee. 

33 — 59. 33. Majore poeta plectra. "Thou, Antonius, a poet of lof- 
tier strain." Antonius distinguished himself by an epic poem in twelve 
books, entitled Diomedeis. — 34. Quandoque. For quandocunqne. — 35. Per 
sacrum clivum. " Along the sacred ascent." Alluding to the Via Sacra, 
the street leading up to the Capitol, and by which triumphal processions 
were conducted to that temple. — 36. Fronde. Alluding to the laurel 
crown worn by commanders when they triumphed. — Sygambros. The 
Sygambri inhabited at first the southern side of the Lupia or Lippe. 
They were afterwards, during this same reign, removed by the Romans 
into Gaul, and had lands assigned them along the Rhine. Horace 
here alludes to them before this change of settlement took place. — 39. 
In aurum priscum. " To their early gold," i. e. to the happiness of the 
golden age. — 43. Forumque litibus orbum. " And the forum free from liti- 
gation." The courts of justice were closed at Rome not merely in cases 
of public mourning, but also of public rejoicing. This cessation of busi- 
ness was called Justilium. — 45. Turn. Alluding to Ihe expected trium- 
phal entry of Augustus. No triumph, however, took place, as the em- 
peror avoided one by coming privatelyinto the city. — Mece vocisbonapars 
accedet. " A large portion of my voice shall join the general cry."— -46. 
sol pulcher. " O glorious day." — 49. Tuque dum procedis, &c. " And 
while thou art moving along in the train of the victor, we will often raise 
the shout of triumph ; the whole state will raise the shout of triumph." 
The address is to Antonius, who will form part of the triumphal proces- 
sion, while the poet will mingle in with, and help to swell the acclama- 
tions of, the crowd. With civitasomnis understand dicet. — 53. Te. Un- 
derstand solvent, " shall free thee from thy vow." Alluding to the fulfil- 
ment of vows offered up for the safe return of Augustus. — 55. Largis 
herbis. " Amid abundant pastures." — 56. Inmeavota. "For the ful- 
filment of my vows." — 57. Cunatos ignes. " The bending fires of the 
moon when she brings back her third rising," i. e. the crescent of the 
moon when she is three days old. The comparison is between the 
crescent and the horns of the young animal. — 59. Qua notam duxit, 
&c. " Snow-white to the view where it bears a mark ; as to the rest of 
its body, of a dun colour." The animal is of a dun colour and bears a 
conspicuous snow-white mark. — Niveus videii. A Grsecism, the infini- 
tive for the latter supine. 



Ode 3. The bard addresses Melpomene, as the patroness of lyric 
verse. To her he ascribes his poetic inspiration, to her the honours 
which he enjoys among his countrymen ; and to her he now pays the 
debt of gratitude in this beautiful ode. 

1 — 24. 1. Quem tu, Melpomene, &c. " Him, on whom thou, Mel« 



334 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE IT. 

pomene, mayest have looked with a favouring eye, at the hour of his na- 
tivity." — 3. Labor Isthmius. " The Isthmian contest." The Isthmian 
are here put for any games. — 4. Clarabit pugilem. " Shall render illus- 
trious as a pugilist." — 5. Curru Jlchaico. " In a Grecian chariot." An 
allusion to victory in the chariot-race. — G. Res bellka. " Some warlike 
exploit." — Deliis folns. "With the Delian leaves," i. e. with laurel, 
which was sacred to Apollo, whose natal place was the isle of Delos. — 
8. Quod regum tumidas, &c. " For having crushed the haughty threats 
of kings." — 10. Pratjhtwnt. For prceterfluunt. "Flow by." The common 
text has perjluunt, " flow through." Consult, as regards Tibur and the 
Anio, the note on Ode 1. 7. 13. — 12. Fingmt JEolio, &c. The idea 
meant, to be conveyed is this, that the beautiful scenery around Tibur, 
and the peaceful leisure there enjoyed, will enable the poet to cultivate 
his lyric powers with so much success as, under the favouring influence 
of the Muse, to elicit the admiration both of the present and coming age. 
As regards the expression JEolio cm-mine, consult note on Ode 3. 30. 13. 
■ — 13. Roma, principis urbium,8ic. " The offspring of Rome, queen of 
cities." By the " Offspring of Rome," are meant, the Romans them- 
selves. — 17. testudinis aurece, &c. " O Muse, that rulest the sweet 
melody of the golden shell." Consult notes on Odes 3. 4.40. and 1. 10. 
6. — 20. Cycni soman. " The melody of the dying swan." Consult 
note on Ode 1.6. 2. — 22. Quod monslror. " That I am pointed out." 
— 23. Romcuwfulicvn lyra. "As the minstrel of the Roman lyre." — 24. 
Quod spiro. " That I feel poetic inspiration." 



Ode 4. The Ra;ti and Vindelici having made frequent inroads into the 
Roman territory, Augustus resolved to inflict a signal chastisement on 
these barbarous tribes. For this purpose, Drusus Nero, then only twenty 
three years of age, a son of Tiberius Nero and Livia, and a step-son con- 
sequently of the emperor, was sent against them with an army. The ex- 
E edition proved eminently successful. The young prince, in the very first 
attle, defeated the Raeti at the Tridentine Alps, and afterwards, in con- 
junction with his brother Tiberius, whom Augustus had added to the war, 
met with the same good fortune against the Vindelici, united with the 
remnant of the Rasti and with others of their allies. (Compare Dio Cas- 
sius, 54. 22. Veil. Paterc. 2. 95.) Horace, being ordered by Augustus 
(Sueton. Vit. Horat.) to celebrate these two victories in song, composed 
the present ode in honour of Drusus, and the fourteenth of this same book 
in praise of Tiberius. The piece we are now considering consists of three 
divisions. In the first, the valour of Drusus is the theme, and he is com- 
pared by the poet to a young eagle and lion. In the second, Augustus is 
extolled for his paternal care of the two princes, and for the correct cul- 
ture bestowed upon them. In the third, the praises of the Claudian line 
are sung, and mention is made of C. Claudius Nero, the conqueror of 
Hasdrubal, after the victory achieved by whom, over the brother of Hani- 
bal. Fortune again smiled propitious on the arms of Rome. 

1 — 21. 1. Quahm minislrum, &c. The order of construction is as 
follows: Qualem olimjuventas et patrius vigor propulit nido inscium labo- 
rum alitem ministrum fulminis, cui Jupiter, rex cleorum, permisit regnwm in 
vagas aves, expertus (eum) fidelem inflavo Ganymede, vernique venti, nim- 
bis jam remotis, docuere paventem insolitos nisus ; mox vividus impetus, &c 
— (talem) Vindelici videre Drusum gerentem bella sub Raetis Mpibus. — 
"As at first, the fire of youth and hereditary vigour have impelled from the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE IV. 383 

nest, still ignorant of toils, the bird, the thunder-bearer, to whom Jove, the 
king of gods, has assigned dominion over the wandering fowls of the air, 
having found him faithful in the case of the golden-haired Ganymede, 
and the winds of spring, the storms of winter being now removed, have 
taught him, still timorous, unusual darings ; presently a fierce impulse, 
&c. — Such did the Vindelici behold Drusus waging war at the foot of the 
Rnstian Alps." — Alitem. Alluding to the eagle. The ancients believed 
that this bird was never injured by lightning, and they therefore made it 
the thunder-bearer of Jove. — 12: Jimor dapis alque pugnce. " A desire for 
food and fight." — 14. Fulvoz matris ab ubere, &c. "A lion just weaned 
from the dug of its tawny dam." — 16. Dente novo peritura. "Doomed to 
perish by its early fang." — 17. Roztis Mpibus. The Rcetian Alps extended 
from the St. Gothard, whose numerous peaks bore the name of Adula, to 
Mount Brenner in the Tyrol. — 18. Vindelici. The country of the Vinde- 
lici extended from the Lacus Briganfmus (Lake of Constance) to the 
Danube, while the lower part of the Oenus, or Inn, separated it from 
Noricum. — Quibus mos wide deductus, &c. " To whom from what source 
the custom be derived, which, through every age, arms their right hands 
against the foe with an Amazonian battle-axe, I have omitted to enquire." 
The awkwardness of the whole clause, from quibus to omnia, has very justly 
caused it to be suspected as an interpolation : we have therefore placed 
the whole within brackets.— 20. Amazonia securi. The Amazonian bat- 
tle-axe was a double one, that is, beside its edge it had a sharp projection, 
like a spike, on the top. — 21. Obarmet. The verb obarmo means " to arm 
against another." 

24 — 33. 24. Consiiiis juvenis revicta. " Subdued in their turn by the 
skilful operations of a youthful warrior." Consult Introductory Re- 
marks. — 25. Sensere, quid mens, &c, " Felt, what a mind, what a dis- 
position, duly nurtured beneath an auspicious roof, what the paternal 
affection of Augustus towards the young Neros, could effect." The 
Vindelici at first beheld Drusus waging war on the Rasti, now they them- 
selves were destined to feel the prowess both of Drusus and Tiberius, 
and to experience the force of those talents which had been so happily 
nurtured beneath the roof of Augustus. — 29. Fortes creantur fortibus. 
The epithet fortis appears to be used here in allusion to the meaning ot 
the term Nero, which was of Sabine origin, and signified " courage," 
" firmness of soul." — 30. Patrum virtus. " The spirit of their sires." — 
33. Doctrinasedvim, &c. The poet, after conceding to the young Ne- 
ros the possession of hereditary virtues and abilities, insists upon the 
necessity of proper culture to guide those powers into the path of use- 
fulness, and hence the fostering care of Augustus is made indirectly the 
theme of praise. The whole stanza may be translated as follows : 
" But it is education that improves the powers implanted in us by nature, 
and it is good culture that strengthens the heart : whenever moral prin- 
ciples are wanting, vices degrade the fair endowments of nature." 

37 — 64. 37. Quid debeas, Roma, J\ r eronibus, &c. We now enter on 
the third division of the poem, the praise of the Claudian line, and the 
poet carries us back to the days of the second Punic war, and to the vic- 
tory achieved by C. Claudius Nero over the brother of Hannibal. — 38. 
Metaurum flumen. The term Mctaurum is here taken as an adjective. 
The Metaurus, now Metro, a river of Umbria, emptying into the Adri- 
atic, was rendered memorable by the victory gained over Asdrubal by 
the consuls C. Claudius Nero and M. Livius Salinator. The chief merit 
of the victory was due to Claudius Nero, for his bold and decisive move- 
ment in marching to join Livius. — 39. Pulcher ille dies. " That glorious 



386 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE V. 

day." Pulcher may also be joined in construction with Latio, "rising fair on 
Latimn." According to the first mode of interpretation, however, Latio 
is an ablative, tenebrisfugatis Latio, " when darkness was dispelled from 
Latium." — 41. Adorca. Used herein the sense of victoria. It properly 
means a distribution of corn to an army, after gaining a victory. — 42. 
Dims per urbes, &c. " Since the dire son of Afric sped his way through 
the Italian cities, as the flame does through the pines, or the south-east 
wind over the Sicilian waters." By dints Afcr Hannibal is meant. — 45. 
Laboribus. Equivalent here to prcvliis. — 48. Deos habuere rectos. "Had 
their goda again erect." Alluding to a general renewing of sacred rites, 
which had been interrupted by the disasters of war. — 50. Cervi. "Like 
stair*.'" — 51. Q.U03 opimits fallere, &c "Whom to elude by Might is a 
glorious triumph." The expression fallere et effugere may be compared 
with the Greek idiom Xaddvrag tpcOyctv, of which it is probably an imita- 
tion. — 53. Q»(T crematofortis, &c. " Which bravely bore from Ilium re- 
duced to ashes. " — 57. Tonsa. "Shorn of its branches." — 58. Nigra 
farad frondis, &c. "On Algidus abounding with thick foliage." Consult 
noteonOde 1. 21. 6. — 62. Vinci dolentem. "Apprehensive of being over- 
come."- — G3. Cn'rlii. Alluding to the dragon that guarded the golden 
fleece." — 64. Echioniave Theba. " Or Echionian Thebes." Echion was 
one of the number of those that sprung from the teeth of the dragon 
when sown by Cadmus, and one of the five that, survived the conflict. 
Having aided Cadmus in building Thebes, he received from that prince 
his daughter Agaue. 

65. — 74. 65. Pukhrior evenit. "It comes forth more glorious than 
before." — 66. Integrum. " Hitherto firm in strength." — 68. Conjvgibus 
loquenda. " To be made a theme of lamentation to widowed wives. 
Literally "to be talked of by wives." Some prefer conjugifats as a 
dative. The meaning will then be, "to be related by the victors to their 
i. e. after they have returned from the war. — 70. Occidit, occidit, 
&c. " Fallen, fallen is all our hope." — 7.3. Nil Claudiae rton perftcient 
mantis. "There is nothing now which the prowess of the Claudian line 
will not effect." i. e. Rome may now hope for every thing from the 
prowess of the Claudii. We cannot but admire the singular felicity 
that marks the concluding stanza of this beautiful ode. The future glo- 
ries of the Claudian house are predicted by the bitterest enemy of Rome, 
and our attention is thus recalled to the young Neros, and the martial 
exploits which had already distinguished their career. — 74. Quas et benig- 
no numine, &c. " Since Jove defends them by his benign protection, and 
sagacity and prudence conduct them safely through the dangers of war." 



Ode 5. Addressed to Augustus, long absent from his capital, and 
invoking his return. 

1 — 24. 1. Divis orte bonis. " Sprung from propitious deities." Al- 
luding to the divine origin of the Julian line. — 2. Abes jam nimium dm." 
" Already too long art thou absent from us." Augustus remained ab- 
sent from Iris capital for the space of nearly three years, being occupied 
with settling the affairs of Gaul, (from A. U. C. 738 to 741.)— 5. Lu- 
cent redde txtcc, &c. " Auspicious prince, restore the light of thy pre- 
sence to thy country." — 8. Et soles melius nitent. " And the beams of 
the sun shine forth with purer splendour." — 10. Carpathii maris. Con- 
sult note on Ode 1. 35. 8. — 11. Cunctantem spatio, &c. "Delaying 
longer than the annual period of his stay." — 12. Vocat. " Invokes the 
return of." — 15. Desideiiis icla fidelibus. "Pierced with faithful re- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE T. 387 

grets." — 17. Etenim. Equivalent to ical y<)(>. "And no wonder she 
does so, for," &c.' — Tula. The common text has rura. The blessings 
of peace, here described, are all the fruits of the rule of Augustus ; and 
nence, in translating, we may insert after etenim the words " by thy 
guardian care." — 18. Mmaque Faustitas. " And the benign favour of 
heaven," i. e. benignant prosperity. — 19. Volitant. "Pass swiftly," 
1. e. are impeded in their progress by no fear of an enemy. — 20. Cul- 
pari metuit fides. " Good faith shrinks from the imputation of blame." 
— 21. Nullis polhdtur, &c. Alluding to the Lex Julia " de Jldulterio," 
passed by Augustus, and his other regulations against the immorality 
and licentiousness which had been the order of the day. — 22. Mos et lex 
inaculosum, &c. "Purer morals and the penalties of the law have 
brought foul guilt to subjection." Augustus was invested by the se- 
nate repeatedly for five years with the office and title of Magister mo- 
rum. — 23. Simili prole. " For an offspring like the father." — 24. Cul- 
pam Poena premit comes. " Punishment presses upon guilt as its con- 
stant companion." 

25 — 38. 25. Quis Pm-thum paveat, &lc. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is this : The valour and power of Augustus have triumphed over 
the Parthians, the Scythians, the Germans, and the Cantabri ; what have 
we, therefore, now to dread ? As regards the Parthians, consult notes 
on Ode 1.26.3. and 3. 5. 3.—Gelidum Scythen. "The Scythian, the 
tenant of the North." By the Scythians are here meant the barbarous 
tribes in the vicinity of the Danube, but more particularly the Geloni. 
Their inroads had been checked by Lentulus, the lieutenant of Augus- 
tus. — 26. Quis, Germania quos horrida, &c. " Who, the broods that hor- 
rid Germany brings forth." The epithet horrida has reference, in fact, 
to the wild and savage appearance, and the great stature, of the ancient 
Germans. It contains an allusion also to the wild nature of the coun- 
try, and the severity of the climate. — 29. Condit quisque diem, &c. 
" Each one closes the day on his own hills." Under the auspicious 
reign of Augustus, all is peace; no war calls off" the vine-dresser from 
his vineyard, or the husbandman from his fields. — 30. Viduas ad arbores. 
" To the widowed trees." A beautiful allusion to the cheek given to 
agriculture by the civil wars. — 31. Et alteris te mensis, &c. "And at 
the second table invokes thee as a god." The coena of the Romans 
usually consisted of two parts, the mensa prima, or first course, com- 
posed of different kinds of meat, and the mensa secunda or altera, second 
course, consisting of fruits and sweetmeats. The wine was set down 
on the table with the dessert, and, before they began drinking, libations 
were poured out to the gods. This, by a decree of the senate, was 
done also in honour of Augustus, after the battle of Actium. — 33. Pro- 
sequitur. "He worships." — 34. Et Laribus tuum, &c. "And blends 
thy protecting divinity with that of the Lares, as grateful Greece does 
those of Castor and the mighty Hercules." The Lares here alluded to 
are the Lares Publici, or Dli Patrii, supposed by some to be identical 
with the Penates. — 37. Longas 6 utinctm, &c. " Auspicious prince, 
mayest thou afford long festal days to Italy," i. e. long mayest thou rule 
over us. — 38. Dicimus integro, &c. " For this we pray, in sober mood, 
at early dawn, while the day is still entire ; for this we pray, moistened 
with the juice of the grape, when the sun is sunk beneath the ocean." 
Integer dies is a day of which no part has as yet been used. 
36 



388 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IT. ODE VI. 

Ode 6. The poet, being ordered by Augustus to prepare a hymn for 
the approaching .Secular celebration, composes the present ode as a sort 
of prelude, and entreats Apollo that his powers may prove adequate to 
the task enjoined upon him, 

1 — 23. 1. Magna vindicem lingu<t. "The avenger of an arrogant 
tongue." Alluding to the boastful pretensions of JNiobe, in relation to 
her offspring. — 2.Titwsque raptor. Compare Ode 2. 14. 8. — 3. Sensil. 
" Felt to be." Supply esse. — Trojce. prope victor alia:. Alluding to bis 
having slain Hector, the main support of Troy. — 4. Phthius Achilles. 
The son of Thetis, according to Homer (11. 22. 359.) was to fall by the 
hands of Paris and Phoebus. Virgil, however, makes him to have been 
slain by Paris. — ;">. Cccleris major, tibi miles impar. " A warrior superior 
to the rest of the Greeks, but an unequal match for thee." — 7. Mordaci 
ftrro. "By the biting steel," i. e. the sharp-cutting axe. — 10. Impulsa. 
" Overthrown." — 11. Posuitque. "And reclined." — 13. Ilk non, mclusus, 
&c. The poet means that, if Achilles had lived, the Greeks would not 
have been reduced to the dishonourable necessity of employing the stra- 
tagem of the wooden horse, but, would have taken the city in open tight. 
— Equo Minerva sacra menlilo. " In the horse that belied the worship of 
Minerva," i. c. which was falsely pretended to have been an offering to 
the goddess. — 14. Male feriatos. "Giving loose to festivity in an evil 
hour."— ic. Falleret. For fefellisset. So, in the I8th verse, ureret for 
ussiss t. — 17. Palam gravis. "Openly terrible." — IS. Nescios fariinfan- 
l> . An imitation of the Greek form, vjma riieva, — 21. Flcxus. "Swayed." 
Bent, from his purpose. — 22. Vocibus. "Entreaties." — Jldmisset. "Grunt- 
ed." — -23. Potiore ductos alite. " Reared under more favourable aus- 
pices." 

25 — 39. 25. Doctor rfrgiva, &.c. " God of the lyre, instructor of the 
Grecian muse." Thalia, is here equivalent to Musa lyrica, and Apollo is 
invoked as the deity who taught the Greeks to excel in lyric numbers. — 
26. Xantho. Alluding to the Lycian, not the Trojan, Xanthus. This 
Btream, though the largest in Lycia, was yet of inconsiderable size. On 
its banks stood a city of the same name, the greatest in the whole coun- 
try. About 60 stadia eastward from the mouth of the Xanthus, was the 
city of Patara, famed for its oracle of Apollo. — 27. Daunix defende decus 
Camanoz. "Defend the honour of the Roman muse," i. e. grant that in 
the Sascular.hymn, which Augustus bids me compose, I may support the 
honour of the Roman lyre. As regards Davnice, put here for Itula, i. e. 
Romance, consult the notes on Ode 2. 1. 34,and J. 22. 13. — 28. Levis Jlgyieu. 
"I 'youthful Apollo." The appellation Jlgyieus is of Greek origin ('Ayvui;), 
and, if the common derivation be correct (from ayvtu, " a street,") denotes 
"the guardian deity of streets." It was the custom at Athens to erect 
small conical cippi, in honour of Apollo, in the vestibules and before the 
doors of their houses. Here he was invoked as the averter of evil, and 
was worshipped with perfumes, garlands and fillets. — 29. Spiritum Pha- 
bus mihi, &c. The bard, fancying that his supplication has been heard, 
now addresses himself to the chorus of maidens and youths whom he 
supposes to be standing around and awaiting his instructions. My prayer 
is granted, " Phoebus has given me poetic inspiration, Phoebus has given 
me the art of song, and the name of a poet," — Virginum prima, &c. 
"Ye noblest of the virgins, and ye boys sprung from illustrious sires." 
The maidens and youths who composed the chorus at the Scecular cele- 
bration, and whom the poet here imagines that he has before him, were 
chosen from the first families. — 33. Delia tutela decc. " Ye that ere pro- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE VII. 389 

teeted by the Delian Diana." Diana was the patroness of moral purity. 
— 35. Lesbium senate pedem, &c. " Observe the Lesbian measure and 
the striking of my thumb." The expression pollicis ictum refers to the 
mode of marking the termination of cadences and measures, by the ap- 
plication of the thumb to the strings of the lyre. — 38. Crescentem face 
Noctilucam. " The goddess that illumines the night, increasing in the 
splendour of her beams." — 39. Prosperam frugum. " Propitious to the 
productions of the earth." A Graecism for frugibus.. — Celeremque pronos, 
&c. " And swift in rolling onward the rapid months." A Graecism for 
celerem in volvendis pronis mensibus. 

41 — 43. 41. Nupta jam dices. "United at length in the bands of 
wedlock, thou shalt say." Jam is here used for tandem. The poet, in 
the beginning of this stanza, turns to the maidens, and addresses him- 
self to the leader of the chorus as the representative of the whole body. 
The inducement which he holds out to them for the proper performance 
of their part in the celebration, is extremely pleasing; the prospect, 
namely, of a happy marriage ; for the ancients believed, that the virgins 
composing the chorus at the Ssecular, and other solemnities, were al- 
ways recompensed with a happy union. — 42. Sceculo festas refer ente 
luces. " When the Sascular period brought back the festal days." The 
Saccular games were celebrated once every 1 10 years. Before the Ju- 
lian reformation of the calendar, the Roman was a lunar year, which 
was brought, or was meant to be brought, into harmony with the solar 
year by the insertion of an intercalary month. Joseph Scaliger has 
shown that the principle was to intercalate a month, alternately of 22 
and 23 days, every other year during periods of twenty-two years, in 
each of which periods such an intercalary month was inserted ten 
times, the last biennium being passed over. As five years made a lus- 
trum, so five of these periods made a scecidum of 110 years. (Scaliger, 
de emendat. temp. p. 80. seqq. — Niehbuhr's Roman History, vol. 1. p. 334. 
Hare and ThirlwaWs transl.) — 43. Reddidi carmen. " Recited a hymn." 
Docilis modorum, &c. " After having learnt, with a docile mind, the 
measures of the poet Horace." Modorum refers here as well to the 
movements as to the singing of the chorus. 



Ode 7. This piece is similar, in its complexion, to the fourth ode of 
the first book. In both these productions the same topic is enforced, 
the brevity of life and the wisdom of present enjoyment. The indivi- 
dual to whom the ode is addressed, is the same with the Torquatus, to 
whom the fifth epistle of the first book is inscribed. He was grandson 
of L. Manlius Torquatus, who held the consulship in the year that Ho- 
race was born. (Ode 3. 21. 1.) Vanderbourg remarks of him as fol- 
lows: " On ne connait ce Torquatus que par l'ode qui nous occupe, et 
l'epitre 5 du livre 1, qu'Horace lui adresse pareillement. II en resulte 
que cet ami de notre poete etait un homme eloquent et fort estimable, 
mais un peu attaqud de la manie de thesauriser, manie d'autant plus 
bizarre chez lui, qu'il etait, dit-on, celibataire, et n'entassait que pour 
des collateraux." 

1 — 26. 1. Diffugere nives, &c. " The snows are fled : their verdure 
is now returning to the fields, and their foliage to the trees." The stu- 
dent must note the beauty and spirit of the tense diffugere. — 3. Mutal 
terravices. " The earth changes its appearance." Compare the expla* 



390 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IT. ODE Till. 

nation of Mitscherlich, " Vices terrce de colore ejus, per annuus vices appa- 
rente, ac pro diversa tmni tempestate variantc, dicta." — E< decresemtia ri- 
pas, &c. Marking the cessation of the season of inundations in early 
spring, and the approach of summer. — 5. Audrt due ere choros. " Ven- 
tures to lead up the dances." — 7. Immortalia. " For an immortal exist- 
ence." — 9. Monet annus. "Of this the year warns thee." The vicissi- 
tudes of the seasons remind us, according to the poet, of the brief na- 
ture of our own existence. — 9. Frigoni mitt smut Zephyris. " The win- 
ter colds are beginning to moderate under the inline nee of the western 
winds." Zephyri mark the vernal breezes. — Protcrit. " Tramples up- 
on." Beautifully descriptive of the hot and ardent progress of the sum- 
mer season. — 10. JrUeritura, simul, Sic. " Destined in its turn to perish, 
as soon as fruitful autumn shall have poured forth its stores." — Simul is 
for simul ac. — 12. Brumainers. "Sluggish winter." Alludingto winter 
as, comparatively speaking, the season of inaction. Compare the lan- 
guage of Bion (6. 5.) x"P a loccpyoi. — 13. Damna tumen celeres, &c. 
" The rapid months, however, repair the losses occasioned by the 
changing seasons." Before the Julian reformation of the calendar, the 
Roman months were lunar ones. Hence luna; was frequently used in 
the language of poetry, even after the change had taken place, as equi- 
valent to menses. — 15. Qwo. " To the place whither." Understand eo 
before quo, and at the end of the clause the verb diciderunt. — Dives Tul- 
lus ,i Ancus. The epithet dives alludes merely to the wealth and power 
of Tullus Hostilius and Ancus Martius as monarchs ; with a reference, 
at the same time, however, to primitive days, since Claudian, (15. 109.) 
when comparing Rome under Ancus with the same city under the em- 
peror, speaks of the " tncmia pan pi ris Jlnci," — 16. Su»nis. " There we 
remain." Equivalent to manemus. — 17. Adjiciant. "Intend to add." 
— Crastina tempora. "To-morrow's hours." — 19. Jlmico quae dederis 
animo. " Which thou Bbalt have bestowed on thyself." Jlmico is. here 
equivalent to tuo, in imitation of the Greek idiom, by which <pt\os is put 
for Iftif, abs, lot. — 21. Splendida arbitria. "His impartial sentence." 
The allusion is to a clear impartial decision, the justice of which is in- 
stantly apparent to all. So, the Bandnsian fount is called (Ode 3. 13. 1.) 
" splendidior vitro. " Clearer than glass." — 24. Restituet." Will restore 
to the light of day." — 2G. Infemis tenebris. " From the darkness of the 
lower world." 



Ode 3. Supposed to have been written at the time of the Saturnalia, 
at which period of the year, as well as on other stated festivals, it was 
customary among the Romans for friends to send presents to one another. 
The ode before us constitutes the poet's gifr, to Censorinus, and, in order 
to enhance its value, be descants on the praises of his favourite art. — 
There were two distinguished individuals at Rome of the name of Censo- 
rinus, the father and son. The latter, C. Marcius Censorinus, is most 
probably the one who is here addressed, as in point of years he was the 
more fit of the two to be the companion of Horace, and as Velleius Pa- 
terculus (2. 102.) styles him, virum demerendii hominibus genitum. He 
was consul along with C. Asinius Gallus, A. U. C. 746. 

] — 11. 1. Donarem pateras, &c. "Liberal to my friends, Censorinus, 
I would bestow upon them cups and pleasing vessels of bronze," i. e. I 
would liberally bestow on my friends cups and vessels of beauteous 
bronze. The poet alludes to the taste for collecting antiques, which then 



EXPLANATORY NOTES BOOK IV. ODE VIII. 39i 

prevailed among his countrymen.— 3. Tripodas. The ancients made 
very frequent, use of the tripod for domestic purposes, to set their lamps 
upon, and also in religious ceremonies. Perhaps the most frequent appli- 
cation of all others was to serve water out in their common habitations. 
In these instances, the upper part was so disposed as to receive a vase. — ■ 
4. Neque tu pessima munerum ferres. "Nor shouldst thou bear away as 
thine own the meanest of gifts." A litotes, for tu optima et rarissima 
muncra ferres. — 5. Divite me scilicet artium, &c. " Were I rich in the 
works of art, which either a Parrhasius or a Scopas produced ; the latter 
in marble, the former by the aid of liquid colours, skilful in representing 
at one time a human being, at another a god." Sollers ponere. A G ra- 
cism for soil ers in ponendo, or sutlers ponendi. The artists here mentioned 
are taken by the poet as the respective representatives of painting and 
statuary. — 9. Sed non hczc mild vis, &c. " But I possess no store of these 
things, nor hast thou a fortune or inclination that needs such curiosities." 
In other words : I am too poor to own such valuables, while thou art too 
rich and hast too many of them to need or desire any more. — 11. G etudes 
carminibus, &c. "Thy delight is in verses : verses toe can bestow, and 
can fix a value no the gift." The train of ideas is as follows : Thou 
carest far less for the things that have just been mentioned, than for the 
productions of the Muse. Here we can bestow a present, and can ex- 
plain, moreover, the true value of the gift. Cups, and vases, and tripods, 
are estimated in accordance with the caprice and luxury of the age, but 
the fame of verse is immortal. The bard then proceeds to exemplify 
the never-dying honours which his art can bestow. 

13 — 33. 13. Noti incisa rtotis, &c. " Not marbles marked with public 
inscriptions, by which the breathing of life returns to illustrious leaders 
after death." Incisa is literally " cut in," or "engraved." — 15. Non ce- 
leresfugaz, &c. " Not the rapid flight of Hannibal, nor his threats hurled 
back upon him." The expression celeres fugce refers to the sudden de- 
parture of Hannibal from Italy, when recalled by the Carthaginians to 
make head against Scipio. He had threatened that he would overthrow 
the power of Rome ; these threats Scipio hurled back upon him, and 
humbled the pride of Carthage in the field of Zama. — 17. Non stipendia 
Carthaginis impice. " Not the tribute imposed upon perfidious Carthage." 
The common reading is Non incendia Carthaginis impice, which involves 
an historical error, in ascribing the overthrow of Hannibal and the de- 
struction of Carthage to one and the same Scipio. The elder Scipio 
imposed a tribute on Carthage after the battle of Zama, the younger 
destroyed the city. — 18. Ejus qui domila, &c. The order of construction 
is as follows : Clarius indicant laudes ejus, qui rediil lucratus nomen ab 
Africa domila, quam, &c. Scipio obtained the agnomen of " Africanus" 
from his conquests in Africa, a title subsequently bestowed on the 
younger Scipio, the destroyer of Carthage. — 20. Calabrce Pierides. "The 
Muses of Calabria." The allusion is to the poet Ennius, who was born 
at Rudiae in Calabria, and who celebrated the exploits of his friend and 
patron, the elder Scipio, in his Annals or metrical chronicles, and also 
in a poem connected with these Annals, and devoted to the praise of 
the Roman commander. — Neque si chartae sileant, &c. " Nor, if writ- 
ings be silent, shalt thou reap any reward for what thou mayest have 
laudibly accomplished." The construction in the text is mcrcedem (illius) 
quod bene feceris. — 22. Qidd foret Iliae, &c. " What would the son of 
Ilia and of Mars be now, if invidious silence had stifled the merits of 
Romulus?" In other words ; Where would be the fame and the glory 
of Romulus, if Ennius had been silent in his praise. Horace alludes to 



392 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IT. ODE IX. 

the mention made by Ennius, in his Annals, of the fabled birth of Ro 
mulus and Remus. — As regards Ilia, compare Note, Ode 3. 9. 8. — 24. 
Obslaret. Put for obstitisset. — 25. Ereptum Stygiis fluctibus Jlecum, &c. 
" The power, and the favour, and the lays of eminent poets, consecrate 
to immortality, and place in the islands of the hlessed, Aeacus rescued 
from the dominion of the grave." Stygiis fluctibus is here equivalent to 
morte. — -27. DiviHbus consecrai insults. Alluding to. the earlier mythology, 
by which Elysium was placed in one or more of the isles of the western 
ocean. — 29. Sic Jovis interest, &e. "By this means the unwearied Her- 
cules participates in the long-wished-for banquet of Jove." Sic is here 
eqivalent to carminibus poetarum. — 31. Clarum Tyndaridct sidus. "By 
this means the Tyndaridae, that bright constellation." Understand .sic 
at the beginning of this clause. The allusion is to Castor and Pollux. 
Consult note on Ode 1. 3. 2. — 33. Ornatus viridi tempora pampino. We 
must again understand sic. "By this means Bacchus, having his tem- 
ples adorned with the verdant vine-leaf, leads to a successful issue the 
prayers of the husbandmen." In other words : by the songs of the 
bards Bacchus is gifted with the privileges and attributes of divinity. 
Consult note on Ode 3. 8. 7. 



Ode 9. In the preceding ode the poet asserts, that the only path to 
immortality is through the verses of the bard. The same idea again 
meets us in the present piece, and Horace promises, through the me- 
dium of his numbers, an eternity of fame to Lollius. My lyric poems 
are not destined to perish, he exclaims ; for, even though Homer enjoys 
the first rank among the votaries of the Muse, still the strains of Pin- 
dar, Simonides, Stcsichorus, Anacreon and Sappho, live in the remem- 
brance of men ; ami my own productions, therefore, in which I have 
followed the footsteps of these illustrious children of song, will, I know 
be rescued from the night of oblivion. The memory of those whom 
they celebrate descends to after ages with the numbers of the bard, 
while, if a poet be wanting, the bravest of heroes sleeps forgotten in the 
tomb. Thy praises then, Lollius, shall be my theme, and thy nu- 
merous virtues shall live in the immortality of verse. 

M. Lollius Palicanus, to whom this ode is addressed, enjoyed, for a 
long time, a very high reputation. Augustus gave him, A. U. C. 728, 
the government of Galatia, with the title of propraetor. He acquitted 
himself so well in this office, that the emperor, in order to recompense 
his services, named him consul, in 732, with L. jEmilius Lepidus. In 
this year the present ode was written, and thus far nothing had occurred 
to tarnish his fame. Being sent, in 737, to engage the Germans, who 
had made an irruption into Gaul, he had the misfortune, after some 
successes, to experience a defeat, known in history by the name of Lol- 
liana Clades, and in which he lost the eagle of the fifth legion. It ap- 
pears, however, that he was able to repair this disaster and regain the 
confidence of Augustus ; for this monarch chose him, about the year 
751, to accompany his grandson Caius Caesar, into the East, as a kind 
of director of his youth, (" veluti moderator juventce." Veil. Pat. 2. 102.) 
It was in this mission to the East, seven or eight years after the death of 
our poet, that he became guilty of the greatest depreciations, and 
formed secret plots, which were disclosed to Caius Caesar by the king of 
the Parthians. Lollius died suddenly a few days after this, leaving be- 
hind him an odious memory. "Whether his end was voluntary or other- 
wise Velleius Paterculus declares himself unable to decide. — We must 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV. ODE IX 393 

not confound this individual with the Lollius to whom the second and 
eighteenth epistles of the first book are inscribed, a mistake into which 
Dacier has fallen, and which he endeavours to support by very feeble 
arguments. Sanadon has clearly shown that these two epistles are 
evidently addressed to a very young man, the father, probably, of Lollia 
Paulina, whom Caligula took away from C. Memmius, in order to es- 
pouse her himself, and whom he repudiated soon after. We have in 
Pliny (N. H. 9. 35.) a curious passage respecting the enormous riches 
which this Lollia had inherited from her grandfather. 

1 — 9. 1 . Ne forte credas, &c. " Do not for a moment believe that 
those words are destined to perish, which I, born near the banks of the 
far-resounding Aufidus, am wont to utter, to be accompanied by the 
strings of the lyre through an art before unknown." Horace alludes 
to himself as the first that introduced into the Latin tongue the lyric 
measures of Greece. — 2. Longe sonantem nalm, &c. Alluding to his 
having been born in Apulia. Consult Ode 3. 30. 10. — 5. Non si prio- 
res, &c. "Although the Maeonian Homer holds the first rank among 
poets, still the strains of Pindar and the Capan Simonides, and the threat- 
ening lines of Alcaeus, and the dignified effusions of Stesichorus, are not 
hid from the knowledge of posterity." More literally : " The Pindaric 
and Caean Muses, and the threatening ones of Alcaeus, and the dig- 
nified ones of Stesichorus." As regards the epithet Mceonius, applied 
to Homer, consult note on Ode, 1. 6. 2. — 7. Cccce. Consult note on 
Ode, 2. 1. 37. — Mcael minaces. Alluding to the effusions of Alcaeus 
against the tyrants of his native island. Consult note on Ode 2. 13. 26. 
— 8. Stesichorique graves Camoenas: Stesichorus was a native of Himera, 
in Sicily, and born about 632. B. C. He was contemporary with Sap- 
pho, Afcseus, and Pittacus. He used the Doric dialect, and besides 
hymns in honour of the gods, and odes in praise of heroes, composed 
what may be called lyro-epic poems, such as one entitled " the Destruc- 
tion of Troy, 1 ' and another called "the Orestiad." — 9. Nee, si quid 
dim, &c. Nor, if Anacreon, in former days, produced any sportive 
effusion, has time destroyed this." Time, however, has made fearful 
ravages, for us, in the productions of this bard. At the present day, we 
can attribute to Anacreon only the fragments that were collected by 
Unsinus, and a few additional ones ; and not those poems which com- 
monly go under his name, a few only excepted. 

1 1 — 49. 1 1. Calores Aeolice puellm. " The impassioned feelings of the 
Aeolian maid." The allusion is to Sappho. Consult note on Ode, 2. 13. 
24. — 13. Non sola comtos, &c. The order of construction is as follows : 
Laccena Helene non sola arsit comtos crines adult eri, et mirata (est) aurum. 
— 14. Aurum vestibus illitum. " The gold spread profusely over his gar- 
ments," i. e. his garments richly embroidered with gold. 15. Regalesque 
cultus et comites. " And his regal splendour and retinue." Cultus here 
refers to the individual's manner of life, and the extent of his resources. — 
17. Cydonio arm. Cydon was one of the most ancient and important 
cities of Crete, and the Cydonians were esteemed the best among the 
Cretan archers. — 18. Non semtl Ilios vexata. Troy, previous to its final 
overthrow, had been twice taken, once by Hercules, and again by the 
Amazons. — 19. Ingens. "Mighty in arms." — 22. Acer De'iphobus. Dei- 
phobus was regarded as the bravest of the Trojans after Hector. — 29. 
Inertia:. The dative for ab inertia, by a Grascism. — 30. Celata virtus. 
"Merit, when uncelebrated," i. e. when concealed from the knowledge of 
posterity, for want of a bard or historian to celebrate its praises. — Non 



394 ExrLA>JATonT notes. — book iv. ode x. xi. 

ego te meis, &c. "I will not pass thee over in silence, unhonoured in my 
strains." — 33. Lividas. "Envious." — 35. Rerumque prudens, &C "Both 
skilled in the management of affairs, and alike unshaken in prosperity and 
misfortune." The poet here begins to enumerate some of the claims of 
Lollius to an immortality of lame. Hence the connection in the train of 
ideas is as follows : And worthy art thou, O Lollius, of being remembered 
by after ages, for "thou hast a mind," &.c. — 37. Vindex. Put in apposi- 
tion with animus. — 38. Ducenlis ad se cuncta. " Drawing all things within 
the sphere of its influence." — 39. Considque non unius anni. "And not 
merely the consul of a single year." A bold and beautiful personification, 
by which the term consul is applied to the mind of Lollius. Ever actuated 
by the purest principles, and ever preferring honour to views of mere pri- 
vate interest, the mind of Lollius enjoys a perpetual consulship. — 42. 
Rejet it alto dona nocentium, kc. "Rejects with disdainful brow the bribes 
of the guilty; victorius, makes for himself a way, by his own arms, amid 
opposing crowds." Explicuil sua anna may be rendered more literally, 
though less intelligibly, "displays his arms'" The "opposing crowds'' 
are the difficulties mat beset the path of the upright man, as well from the 
inherent weakness of his own nature, as from the arts of the flatterer, and 
the machinations of secret foes. Calling, however, virtue and firmness to 
his aid, he employs these arms of purest temper against the host that sur- 
rounds him, and comes off victorious from the conflict. — 46. Rede. " Con- 
sistently with true wisdom." — Reclius occupat nomen beati. "With far 
more propriety does that man lay claim to the title of happy." — 49. Callet. 
11 Well knows." 



Ode 10. Addressed to Ligurinus. 

1 — 7. 1. Insperata tuce, kc. " When the down shall come unexpected 
on thy pride." i. e. When the down of advancing years shall cover 
the smooth cheeks of which thou art now so vain, and shall cause thy 
beauty to disappear. Pluma is here used in the sense of lanugo. — 3. 
Qua nunc humeris involilant. "That now float upon thy shoulders." — 
•1. Est punicecc flore prior roscr. " Surpasses the flower of the blushing 
rose," i. e. the blushing hue of the rose. — 5. Hispidam. " Rough with 
the covering of manhood." The term applies to the beard, the growth 
of manhood, and not, as some suppose, to the wrinkles of age. — 6. Quo- 
ties te in speculo vidcris alterum. "As often as thou shalt see thyself quite 
another person in the mirror," i. e. completely changed from what thou 
now art — 7. Qi«p mens est hodie, kc. "Why had I not, when a boy, the 
same sentiments that 1 have now, or why, in the present state of my feel- 
ings, do not my beardless cheeks return ?" 



Ode 11. The poet invites Phyllis to his abode, for the purpose of 
celebrating with him the natal day of Maecenas, and endeavours, by 
various arguments, to induce her to come. 

1—35. 1. Est mihi nonum, &c. " I have a cask full of Alban wine, 
more than nine years old." The Alban wine is ranked by Pliny only aa 
third-rate; but from the frequent commendation of it by Horace and 
Juvenal, we must suppose it to have been in considerable repute, espe- 
cially when matured by long keeping. It was sweet and thick when new, 
but became dry when old, seldom ripening properly before the fifteenth 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IT. ODE XII. 395 

year. — 3. Neclendis apium coronis. " Parsley, for weaving chaplets." Nee- 
tendis coronis is for ad nectendas coronas- 4. Est ederce vis multa. "There 
is abundance of ivy." — 5. Fidges. " Thou wilt appear more beauteous." 
The future, from the old verb fulgo, of the third conjuoation,which frequently 
occurs in Lucretius. — 6. Ridct argento domus. " The house smiles with 
glittering silver." Alluding to the silver vessels cleansed and made ready 
for the occasion, and more particularly for the sacrifice that was to take 
place. — Ara castis vincta verbenis. The allusion is to an ara cespititia. 
Consult notes on Ode 1. 19. 13 and 14. — 8. Spargier. An archaism for 
spargi. In the old language the syllable er was appended to all passive 
infinitives. — 11. Sordidum flammce trepidant. &c. " The flames quiver as' 
they roll the sullying smoke through the house-top," i. e. the quivering 
flames roll, &c. The Greeks and Romans appear to have been unac- 
quainted with the use of chimnies. The more common dwellings had 
merely an opening in the roof, which allowed the smoke to escape ; the 
better class of edifices were warmed by means of pipes enclosed in the 
walls, and which communicated with a large stove, or several smaller 
ones, constructed in the earth under the building. — 14. Idus tibi sunt 
agenda, &c. " The ides are to be celebrated by thee, a day that cleaves 
April, the month of sea-born Venus," i. e. thou art to celebrate along 
with me the ides of April, a month sacred to Venus, who rose from the 
waves. The ides fell on the 15th of March, May, July, and October, 
and on the 13th of the other months. They received their name from 
the old verb iduare, " to divide," (a word of Etrurian origin, according to 
Macrobius, Sat. 1. 15.) because in some cases they actually, and in others 
nearly, divided the month. — 15. Mensem Veneris. April was sacred to 
Venus. — 17. Jure solennis mihi, &c. "A day deservedly solemnised by 
me, and almost held more sacred than thatof my own nativity."— 19. ,8f- 
fluentes ordinat annos. " Counts the successive number of his years." — 
22. Non tux sortis. " Above thy rank." — 25. Tenet ambustus Phaethon, 
&c. " Phaethon, blasted by the thunders of Jove, strikes terror into 
ambitious hopes," i. e. let the fate of Phaethon be a warning to all those 
who seek to rise above their sphere. — 25. Exemplum grave prcebet. "Fur- 
nishes a strong admonition."— 27. Terrenum equitem gravatus, &c. 
" Who disdained Bellerophon as a rider, because he was of mortal birth." 
— 29. Te digna. " Things suited to thy condition." — Et ultra quam licet, 
&c. The construction is, et, (ut) vites disparem, putando nefas sperare 
ultra quam licet. — 31. Disparem. "An unequal alliance." More lite- 
rally : " One, not thy equal," i. e. whose rank in life is superior to thine. — 
31. Meorum finis amorum. — " Last of my loves." — 35. Q,uos reddas. 
"Which thou mayest recite." The poet invites her to come to him, 
and learn these measures from his instructions. When she has learnt 
them, they are to form part of the intended celebration. 



Ode 12. It has never been satisfactorily determined, whether the 
present ode was addressed to the poet Virgil, or to some other individual 
of the same name. The individual here designated by the appellation 
of Virgil (be he who he may) is invited by Horace to an entertainment 
where each guest is to contribute his quota. The poet agrees to supply 
the wine, if Virgil will bring with him, as his share, a box of perfumes. 
He begs him to lay aside for a moment his eager pursuit of gain, and 
his schemes of self-interest, and to indulge in the pleasures of festivity. 



396 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE XII. 

1 — 27. 1. Jam veris coinites, &c. " Now, the Thracian winds, the 
companions of Spring, which calm the sea, begin to swell the sails." 
The allusion is to the northern winds, whose "home, according to the 
poets, was the land of Thrace. These winds began to blow in the com- 
mencement of Spring. The western breezes are more commonly men- 
tioned in descriptions of spring, but, as these are changeable and incon- 
stant, the poet prefers, on this occasion, to designate the winds which 
blow more steadily at this season of the year. — 1. Hiberna nivc. — " By 
the melting of the winter snow." — 6. Infelixavis. The reference is here 
lo the nightingale, and not to the swallow. Horace evidently alludes 
to that version of the story which makes Progne to have been changed 
into a nightingale and Philomela into a swallow. — Et Cecropiae domus, 
&c. " And the eternal reproach of the Attic line, for having too cruelly 
revenged the brutal lusts of kings." Cecropiae is here equivalent simply 
to Atticae, as Pandion, the father of Progne, though king of Athens, was 
not a descendant of Cecrops. — 11. Deum. Alluding to Pan. — Nigri 
colles. "The dark hills," i. e. gloomy with forests. Among the hills, or, 
more properly speaking, mountains of Arcadia, the poets assigned Ly- 
caeu? and Maenalus to Pan as his favorite retreats. — 13. Adduxere sitim 
tempora. "The season of the year brings along with it thirst," i. e. the 
heats of spring, and the thirst produced by them, impel us to the wine- 
cup. — 14. Pressum Calibus Liberum. " The wine pressed at Cales." 
Consult note on Ode 1. 20. 9. — 15. Juvemnn nobiliwm cliens. "Who the 
"juvenes noblles" were, to whom the poet here alludes, it is impossible to 
say: neither is it a matter of the least importance. Those commenta- 
tors who maintain that the ode is addressed to the bard of Mantua, make 
them to be the young Ncros, Drusus and Tiberius, and D&ring, who is one 
of the number that advocate this opinion relative to Virgil, regards cli- 
ens as equivalent to the German Gunslling, " favourite." — 16. Nardo 
vina mereberis. "Thou shalt earn thy wine with spikenard." Horace, 
as we have already stated in the introductory remarks, invites the indi- 
vidual, whom he here addresses, to an entertainment, where each guest 
is to contribute his quota. Our poet agrees to furnish the wine, if Virgil 
will supply perfumes, and hence tells him he shall have wine for his 
spikenard. — 17. Parvus onyx. "A small alabaster box." — Eliciet cadum. 
" Will draw forth a cask," i. e. will cause me to furnish a cask of wine 
for the entertainment. The opposition between parvus onyx and cadus 
is worthy of notice. — 18. Qui nunc Sulpiciis, &e. "Which now lies 
stored away in the Sulpician repositories." Consult note on Ode 3. 
20. 7. According to Porphyrion in his scholia on this passage, the poet 
alludes to a certain Sulpicius Galba, a well known merchant of the day. 
— 19. Donare largus. A Graecism for largus donandi, or erf donandum. 
— Amara curarum. " Bitter cares." An imitation of the Greek idiom, 
(ra KiKpi tuv jicpifiv&v), in place of the common Latin form arnaras curas. 
— 21. Cum tua merce. " With thy club," i. e. with thy share towards the 
entertainment; or, in other words, with the perfumes. The part fur- 
nished by each guest toward a feast, is here regarded as a kind of mer- 
chandise, which partners in trade throw into a common stock that they 
may divide the profits. — 22. JYon ego te meis immunem, &c. " I do not 
intend to moisten thee, at free cost, with the contents of my cups, as the 
rich man does in some well-stored abode." — 23. Nigrorumque memor 
ignium. "And, mindful of the gloomy fires of the funeral pile," i. e. of 
the shortness of existence. — 27. Misce stultitiam consiiiis brevem, &c. 
" Blend a little folly with thy worldly plans : it is delightful to give loose 
on a proper occasion." Desipere properly signifies "to play the fool," and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK. IV. ODE XIII. XIT. 597 

hence we obtain other kindred meanings, such as, "to indulge in festive 
enjoyment," "to unbend," "give loose," &c. 



Ode 13. Addressed to Lyce, now advanced in years. 

5 — 28. 5. Tremvlo. Alluding to the failure of the voice through age. 
— 7. Doctce psallere. A Groecism for doctce psallendi, or in pscdlendo. 
" Skilled in music and in song." Psallo (from the Greek ipdWu) here 
means to play on a musical instrument, and accompany it with the voice. 
Its primitive signification, however, like that of the Greek verb whence 
it is derived, refers to instrumental performance alone. — 8. Excubat. 
" Keeps watch." Cupid stations himself in the cheeks of Chia, watch- 
ing for his victims. — 9. Importunus. " The cruel boy." Ironical. — 12. 
Capitis nives. " The snows of thy head," i. e. thy locks whitened with 
the snow of years.--13. JVec Coce r efer tint jam tibi purpura, &c. " Now, 
neither the purple vestments of Cos," nor sparkling jewels, bring back to 
thee the moments, which the fleeting day has recorded and shut up in the 
public registers. " — Coce purpura. The island of Cos was famed for the ma- 
nufacture of a species of vestments, termed, from the place where they were 
made, Coan, (vestes Coce.) They were made of silk, and are described 
as fine, thin, and indeed almost transparent. — 17. Venus. " Thy beauty." 
— Decens motus. " Thy graceful deportment." — 18. Illius, illius. " Of 
that Lyce, that Lyce." — 20. Surpuerat. For surripuerat. — 21. Felix 
post Cinaram, &c. " Ah form, once yielding in beauty to Cinara alone, 
and famed for every pleasing charm." Fades here applies to the entire 
form, and not merely to the features. Consult note on Ode 4. 1. 3. — 24. 
Servatura diuparem, &c. " Intending to preserve Lyce for a long period, 
so as to be ecjual to the years of an old crow," i. e. until she should be- 
come a rival in years with the aged crow. Consult note on Ode 3. 17. 13. 
—28. Dilapsam in cineres facem. " The torch that had once inflamed 
them, reduced to ashes." 



Ode 14. We have already stated, in the introductory remarks to the 
fourth ode of the present book, that Horace had been directed by Augus- 
tus to celebrate in song the victories of Drusus and Tiberius. The piece 
to which we have alluded, is devoted, in consequence, to the praises 
of the former, the present one to those of the latter, of the two princes. 
In both productions, however, the art of the poet is shown in ascribing 
the success of the two brothers to the wisdom and fostering counsels of 
Augustus himself. 

1 — 15. 1. Qucs euro. Patrum,&.c. " What care on the part of the 
Fathers, or what on the part of the Roman people at large, can, by of- 
ferings rich with honours, perpetuate to the latest ages, O, Augustus, the 
remembrance of thy virtues, in public inscriptions and recording annals ?" 
— 2. Muneribus. Alluding to the various public monuments, decrees, 
&c proceeding from a grateful people. — 4. Titulos. The reference is to 
public inscriptions of every kind, as well on the pedestals of statues, as 
on arches, triumphal monuments, coins, &c. — Memoresque fastos. Con- 
sult note on Ode 3. 17. 4. — 5. JEternet. Varro, as quoted by Nonius, 
(2. 57.) uses this same verb : " Litteris ac laudibus ceternare." — 7. Quern 
tegus Expertes Latinct, &c, " Whom the Vindelici, free before from Ro- 



398 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IV. ODE XIV. 

man sway, lately learned what thou couldst do in war." Or, more freely 
and intelligibly, "Whose power in war the Vindelici, &c. lately expe- 
rienced." We have here an imitation of a well-known Greek idiom. — 
8. Vindelici. Consult note on Ode 4. 4. 18. — 16. Gcnaunos, implacidum 
genus, Breunosque velo'ces. The poet here substitutes for the Recti and 
Vindelici of the 4th Ode, the Genauni and Breuni, Alpine nations, 
dwelling in their vicinity and allied to them in war. This is done ap- 
parently with the view of amplifying the victories of the young Neros, 
by increasing the number of the conquered nations. The Genauni and 
Breuni occupied the Val dWgno and Val Braunia, to the east and north- 
east of the Lago Maggiore (Lacus Verbanus.) — 13. Dejecit acer plus vice 
simplici. " More than once bravely overthrew." — 14. Major Neronum. 
" The elder of the Neros." Alluding to Tiberius, the future emperor. 
15. Lmnanesque Ratios auspiciis, &c. " And under thy favouring auspi- 
ces, drove back the ferocious Rajti." In the time of the republic, when 
the consul performed any thing in person, he was said to do it by his own 
conduct and auspices (ductu, vcl imperio, et auspicio suo;) but if his lieu- 
tenant, or any other person, did it by his command, it was said to be 
done, auspicio consults, ductu legati, under the auspices of the consul, and 
the conduct of the legatus. In this manner the emperors were said to 
do every thing by their own auspices, although they remained at Rome. 
— By the Rffiti in the text, are meant the united forces of the Rajti, Vin- 
delici, and their allies. The first of these constituted, in fact, the small- 
est part, as their strength had already been broken by Drusus. Com- 
pare Introductory Remarks to the fourth Ode of this book. 

17 — 33. 17. Spectandus in certamine Martio, &c. " Giving an illustri- 
ous proof in the martial conflict, with what destruction he could over- 
whelm those bosoms that were devoted to death in the cause of freedom." 
The poet here alludes to the custom prevalent among these, and other 
barbarous nations, especially such as were of Germanic or Celtic origin, 
of devoting themselves to death in defence of their country's freedom. 
— 21. Exercct. "Tames." — Pteiadumchoroscindentenubes,Sic. "When 
the dance of the Pleiades is severing the clouds." A beautiful mode oi 
expressing the rising of these stars. The Pleiades are seven stars in 
the neck of the bull. They are fabled to have been seven of the daugh- 
ters of Atlas, whence they are also called Mlantides. (Virg. Gcorg. 1. 
221.) They rise with the sun on the tenth day before the Calends ot 
May (22d. April) according to Columella. The Latin writers generally 
call them Vergiliae, from their rising about the Vernal Equinox. The 
appellation oi' Pleiades is supposed to come from xXiw, "to sail," because 
their rising marked the season when the storms of winter had departed, 
and every thing favoured the renewal of navigation. Some, however, 
derive the name from wXrfoues, because they appear in a cluster, and thus 
we find Manilius calling them " sidus glomerahile.''' 1 — 24. Medios per ignes. 
Some commentators regard this as a proverbial expression, alluding to 
an affair full of imminent danger, and compare it with the Greek Sia m>- 
obs no\dv. The scholiast, on the other hand, explains it as equivalent to 
"per medium pugnae fervorem." We rather think with Gesner, however, 
that the reference is to some historical event which has not come down 
to us. 25. Sic tauriformis volvitur Aufidus. " With the same fury is 
the bull-formed Aufidus rolled along." The epithet tauriformis, analo- 
gous to the Greek ravp6piop<pos, alludes either to the bull's head, or to the 
horns with which the gods of rivers were anciently represented. The 
scholiast on Euripides (Orest. 1378.) is quite correct in referring the ex- 
planation of this to the roaring of their waters. Consult note on Ode, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK IT. ODE XV. 399 

3. 30. 10. — 26. Qua regna Dauni, &c. " Where it flows by the realms 
of Apulian Daunus," i. e. where it waters the land of Apulia. Prae- 
fluit. For praeterfluit. Compare Ode 4. 3. 10. — 29. Jlgmina ferrata. 
" The iron-clad bands." — 31. Metendo. " By mowing down." — 32. Sine 
clade. " Without loss to himself," i. e. with trifling injury to his own 
army. — 33. Consilium et tuos divos. " Thy counsel and thy favouring 
gods," i. e. thy counsel and thy auspices. By the expression tuos divos, 
the poet means the favour of heaven, which had constantly accompanied 
the arms of Augustus : hence the gods are, by a bold figure, called his 
own. A proof of this favour is given in the very next sentence, in which 
it is stated, that, on the fifteenth anniversary of the capture of Alex- 
andrea, the victories of Drusus and Tiberius were achieved over their 
barbarian foes* 

34 — 52. 34: JVam, tibi quo die, &c. " For, at the close of the third 
lustrum from the day on which the suppliant Alexandrea opened wide to 
thee her harbours and deserted court, propitious fortune gave a favour- 
able issue to the war." Alexandrea was taken A. U. C. 724, and the war 
with the Raeti and Viridelici was brought to a close A. U. C. 739. — 36. 
Vacuum aulam. Alluding to the retreat of Antony and Cleopatra into 
the monument. — 37. Lustro. Consult note on Ode 2. 4. 22. — 41. Can- 
taber. Consult note on Ode, 2. 6. 2. — 42. Medusque. Compare Intro- 
ductory Remarks, Ode 3. 5, and note on Ode, 1. 26. 3. — Indus. Con- 
sult note on Ode, 1. 12. 55. — Scythes. Consult notes on Ode 2. 9. 23, 
and 3. 8. 23. — 43. Futela prcesens. Consult note on Ode 3. 5. 2.-44. 
Dominos. " Mistress of the world." — 45. Fontium qui celat origines 
Nilus. The Nile, the largest river of the old world, still conceals, ob- 
serves Malte-Brun, its true sources from the research of science. At 
least scarcely any thing more of them is known to us now than was 
known in the time of Eratosthenes. — 46. Ister. The Danube. The 
poet alludes to the victories of Augustus over the Dacians, and other 
barbarous tribes dwelling in the vicinity of this stream. — 46. Rapidns 
Tigris. The reference is to Armenia, over which country Tiberius, by 
the orders of Augustus, A. U. C. 734, placed Tigranes as king. The 
epithet here applied to the Tigris is very appropriate. It is a very swift 
stream, and its great rapidity, the natural effect of local circumstances, 
has procured for it the name of Tigr in the Median tongue, Diglito in 
Arabic, and Hiddekel in Hebrew ; all which terms denote the flight of 
an arrow. — 47. Belluosus. " Teeming with monsters." — 43. Brilannis. 
Consult note on Ode, 3. 5. 3. — 49. JVo?i paventis funera Galliae. Lucan 
(1. 459. seqq.) ascribes the contempt of death, which characterised the 
Gauls, to their belief in the metempsychosis as taught by the Druids. — 
50. Audit. "Obeys." — 51. Sygambri. Consult note on Ode, 4. 2. 36. 
— 52. Compositis armis. " Their arms being laid aside." 



Ode 15. The poet feigns, that, when about to celebrate in song the 
battles and victories of Augustus, Apollo reproved him for his rash attempt, 
and that he thereupon turned his attention to subjects of a less daring na- 
ture, and more on an equality with his poetic powers. The bard there- 
fore sings of the blessings conferred on the Roman people by the glorious 
reign of the monarch — the closing of the temple of Janus — the prevalence 
of universal peace — the revival of agriculture — the re-establishment of 
laws and public morals — the re-kindling splendour of the Roman name. 
37 



4UU EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK IV. ODE XV. 

Hence the concluding declaration of the piece, that Augustus shall 
receive divine honours, as a tutelary deity, from the hands of a grateful 
people. 

1 — 31. 1. Phabus volentem, &c. " Phoebus sternly reproved me, when 
wishing to tell on the lyre of battles and subjugated cities, and warned me 
not to spread my little sails over the surface of the Tuscan sea." To at- 
tempt, with his feeble genius, to sing the victories of Augustus, is, accord- 
ing to the bard, to venture in a little bark on a broad tempestuous ocean. 
— 5. Fruges inheres. "Abundant harvests." Alluding to the revival of 
agriculture after the storms of war." — 6. Et signa nostro restituit Jovi. 
"And has restored the Roman standards to our Jove." An allusion to 
the recovery of the standards lost in the overthrow of Crassus and the 
check of Antony. Consult note on Ode, 1. 26. 3. and Introductory Re- 
marks, Ode 3. 5. — 8. Et vacuum duellis, &c. " And has closed the tem- 
ple of Janus Gluirinus, free from wars," The temple of Janus was open 
in war and closed in peace. It had been closed previous to the reign of 
Augustus, once in the days of Numa, and a second time at the conclusion 
of the fust Punic War. Under Augustus it was closed thrice: once in 
A. U. C. 725, after the overthrow of Antony, (compare Orosius, 6. 22. and 
Dio Cassiw, 51. 20.) again in A. U. C. 729, after the reduction of theCan- 
tabri, (compare Dio Casmis, 53. 26.) and the third time, when the 
Dacians, Dalmatians, and some of the German tribes were subdued by 
Tiberius and Drusus. (Compare Dio Cassius, 54. 36.) To this last 
Horace is here supposed to allude. — 9. El or dinem rectum, &c. The order 
of construction is as follows : et injecil frena Licenlice. evagauti extra rectum 
ordinem. " And has curbed unbridled Licentiousness." Consult note on 
Ode, 4.5. 22. — 12. Veteres artes. "The virtues of former days." — 16. 
Jib Ihsjxrio cubili. "From his resting-place in the west." — 18. Exiget 
otium. "Shall drive away repose." — 20. Inimical. "Embroils." 21. 
JVbn gut profundum, &c Alluding to the nations dwelling along the bor- 
ders of the Danube, the Germans, Raeti, Dacians, &c. — 22. Edicta Julia. 
"The Julian edicts." The reference is to the laws imposed by Augustus, 
a member of the Julian line, on vanquished nations. — Geta. Consult 
note on Ode, 3. 24. 11.— 23. Seres. Consult note on Ode, 1. 12. 55. 
Florus states, that the Seres sent an embassy, with valuable gifts, to Au- 
gustus. (4. 12. 61.) — Infidive Persce. "Or the faithless Parthians." — 24. 
Tanain prope flumen orti. Alluding to the Scythians. Among the em- 
bassies sent to Augustus, was one from the Scythians. — 25. Et profeslis 
lucibus et sacris. " Both on common and sacred days." Consult note on 
Ode, 1. 18. 7. — 26. Munera Liberi. Consult note on Ode, 1. 18. 7.-29. 
VirhUefunctos. "Authors of illustrious deeds." — 30. Lydis remixto car- 
mine tibiis. " In song, mingled alternate with the Lydian flutes," i. e. 
with alternate vocal and instrumental music. The Lydian flutes were the 
same with what were called the right-handed flutes. Among the ancient 
flutes, those most frequently mentioned are the tibice dextrce. and sinistra, 
pares and impares. It would seem that the double flute consisted of two 
tubes, which were so joined together as to have but one mouth, and so 
were both blown at once. That which the musician played on with his 
right-hand was called tibia dextra, the right-handed flute ; with his left, 
the tibia sinistra, the left-handed flute. The latter had but few holes, and 
sounded a deep, serious bass ; the other had many holes, and a sharper 
and livelier tone. The right-handed flutes, as has already been remarked, 
were the same with what were called the Lydian, while the left-handed 
were identical with what were denominated the Tyrian. — 31. Mmat pro- 
geniem Veneris. An allusion to Augustus, who had passed by adoption 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE I. 401 

into the Julian family, and consequently claimed descent, with that line, 
from Ascanius, the grandson of Ancliises and Venus. 



EPODES, 



The term Epode (*Emf&&s) was used in more than one signification. 
It was applied, in the first place, to an assemblage of Lyric verses imme- 
diately succeeding the Strophe and Antistrophe, and intended to close 
the period or strain. Hence the name itself from hi and \Stj, denoting 
something sung after another piece. In the next place, the appellation 
was given to a small Lyric poem, composed of several distichs, in each 
of which the first verse was an Iambic Trimeter (six feet), and the last a 
dimeter (four feet.) Of this kind were the Epodes of Archilochus, men- 
tioned by Plutarch, in his Dialogue on Music, (c. 28. — vol. 14. p. 234. ed. 
Hutlen.) and under this same class are to be ranked a majority of the Epodes 
of Horace. Lastly, the term Epode was so far extended in signification, 
as to designate any poem in ivhich a shorter verse was made to folloiv a long 
one, which will serve as a general definition for all the productions of 
Horace that go by this name. Compare, in relation to this last meaning 
of the word, the language of Hephcestion, (de Metr. p. 70. ed. Pauiv.) 
$lm <5' tv roXi iroirijiaai Ktxi ol ippevinuJs ovtoi KaXovixcvot iitqiol, orav ixcydXu uri- 
X« -rrspiTTdv tl hup tpnra'c where irepiTTdv corresponds to the Latin impar, 
and refers to a verse unequal to one which has gone before, or, in other 
words, less than it. 



Epode 1. Written a short time previous to the battle of Actium. 
The bard offers himself as a companion to Maecenas, when the latter 
was on the eve of embarking in the expedition against Antony and Cleo- 
patra, and expresses his perfect willingness to share every danger with 
his patron and friend. Maecenas, however, apprehensive for the poet's 
safety, refused to grant his request. 

1 — IS. 1. Ibis Liburnis, &c. "Dear Maecenas, wilt thou venture in 
the light Liburnian galleys amid the towering bulwarks of the ships of 
Antony ?" If we credit the scholiast Acron, Augustus, when setting out 
against Antony and Cleopatra, gave the command of the Liburnian gal- 
leys to Maecenas. — 5. Q,uid nos, quibus te, &c. The ellipses are to be 
supplied as follows: Quid nos faciamus, quibus vita est jucunda si te 
super stite vivitur, si contra accident, gravis? "And what shall I do, to 
whom life is pleasing if thou survive; if otherwise, a burthen?". — 7. 
Jussi. Understand a te. — 9. An hunc laborem, &c. " Or shall I endure 
the toils of this campaign with that resolution with which it becomes the 
brave to bear them?" — 12. Inhospitalem Caucasum. Consult note on 
Ode 1. 22. 6. — 13. Occidentis usque ad ultimum sinum. " Even to the 
farthest bay of the west," i. e. to the farthest limits of the world on the 
west. — 13. Major habet. " More powerfully possesses." — Ut assidensim- 
plumibus, &c. "As a bird, sitting near her unfledged young, dreads the 
approaches of serpents more for them when left by her, unable, however, 
though she be with them, to render any greater aid on that account to her 



402 EXPLANTORY NOTES. — EPODE I. 

offspring placed before her eyes." A poetical pleonasm occurs m the 
term prozsentibus, and, in a free translation, the word may be regarded 
as equivalent simply to lis. The idea intended to be conveyed by the 
whole sentence is extremely beautiful. The poet likens himself to the 
parent bird,, and, as the latter sits by her young, though even her presence 
cannot protect them, so the bard wishes to be with his friend, not because 
he is able to defend him from harm, but that he may fear the less for his 
safety while remaining by his side. 

23 — 29. 23. Libeller hoc et omne, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is as follows: I make not this request in order to obtain from thee 
more extensive possessions, the usual, rewards of military service, but in 
the spirit of disinterested affection, and with the hope of securing still more 
firmly thy friendship and esteem. — 25. Non ut juvencis, &c. An elegant 
hypallage for non ut plures juvenci illigati meis aratris nitantw. " Not 
that more oxen may toil for me, yoked to my ploughs," i. e. not that I 
may have more extensive estates. — 27. Pecusve Calabris, &c. " Nor that 
my flocks may change Calabrian for Lucanian pastures, before the burn- 
ing star appears," i. e. nor that I may own such numerous flocks and 
herds, as to have both winter and summer pastures. An hypallage for 
Calabra pascua mutet Lucanis. The more wealthy Romans were accus- 
tomed to keep their flocks and herds in the rich pastures of Calabria and 
Lucania. The mild climate of the former country made it an excellent 
region for winter pastures ; about the end of June, however, and a short 
time previous to the rising of the dog-star, the increasing heat caused 
these pastures to be exchanged for those of Lucania, a cool and woody 
country. On the approach of winter, Calabria was re-visited. — 29. Nee 
ut superni, &c. "Nor that my glittering villa may touch the Circaean 
walls of lofty Tusculum," i. e. nor that my Sabine villa may be built of 
•white marble, glittering beneath the rays of the sun, and be so far ex- 
tended as to reach even to the walls of Tusculum. The distance between 
the poet's farm and Tusculum was more than twenty-five miles. — Can- 
dens. Alluding to the style of building adopted by the rich. — Tusculi 
Circoza mania. Tusculum was said to have been founded by Telegonus, 
the son of Ulysses and Circe. Compare Ode 3. 29. 8. 

33 — 34. 33. Chremes. Acron supposes the allusion to be to Chremes, 
a character in Terence. This, however, is incorrect. The poet refers to 
one of the lost plays of Menander, entitled the "Treasure," (Qwravpbs,) 
an outline of which is given by Donatus in his notes on the Eunuch of 
Terence, (Prol. 10.) A young man, having squandered his estate, sends 
a servant, ten years after his father's death, according to the will of the 
deceased, to cany provisions to his father's monument ; but he had before 
sold the ground, in which the monument stood, to a covetous old man, to 
whom the servant applied to help him to open the monument ; in which 
they discovered a hoard of gold and a letter. The old man seizes the 
treasure, and keeps it, under pretence of having deposited it there, for 
safety, dunng times of war, and the young fellow goes to law with him. 
— 34. Discinclus aid perdam ut nepos. " Or squander away like a disso- 
lute spendthrift." Among the Romans, it was thought effeminate to 
appear abroad with the tunic loosely or carelessly girded. Hence cinctus 
and succinctus are put for industrius, cxpeditus, or gnavus, diligent, active, 
clever, because they used to gird the tunic when at work : and, on the 
other hand, discinctus is equivalent to iners, mollis, ignavus, &c. — Nepos. 
The primitive meaning of this term is "a grandson :" from the too great 
indulgence, however, generally shewn by grandfathers, and the ruinous 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE II. 403 

consequences that ensued, the word became a common designation for a 
prodigal. 



Epode 2. The object of the poet is to show with how much difficulty 
a covetous man disengages himself from the love of riches. He, there- 
tore, supposes an usurer, who is persuaded of the happiness and tran- 
quillity of a country life, to have formed the design of retiring into the 
country and renouncing his former pursuits. The latter calls in his 
money, breaks through all engagements, and is ready to depart, when 
his ruling passion returns, and once more plunges him into the vortex 
of gain. — Some commentators, dissatisfied with the idea that so beauti- 
ful a description of rural enjoyment should proceed from the lips of a 
sordid usurer, have been disposed to regard the last four lines of the 
epode as spurious, and the appendage of a later age. But the art of the 
poet is strikingly displayed in the very circumstance which they con- 
demn, since nothing can show more clearly the powerful influence which 
the love of riches can exercise over the mind, than that one who, like 
Alphius, has so accurate a perception of the pleasures of a country life, 
should, like him, sacrifice them all on the altar of gain. 

1 — 22. 1. Procul negotiis. "Far from the busy scenes of life." — 2. 
TJt prisca gens mortalium. An allusion to the primitive simplicity of the 
golden age. — 3. Exercet. "Ploughs." — 4. Solutus omnifanore. "Freed 
from all manner of borrowing and lending," i. e. from all money-trans- 
actions. The interest of money was called fanus, or usura. The legal 
interest at Rome, toward the end of the republic and under the first 
emperors, was one As monthly for the use of a hundred, equal to 12 per 
cent, per annum. This was called usura centesima, because in a hun- 
dred months the interest equalled the capital. — 5. Neque excitaiur, &c. 
" Neither as a soldier is he aroused by the harsh blast of the trumpet, 
nor does he dread, as a trader, the angry sea." — 7. Forum. " The 
courts of law." — Superba civium, &c. " The splendid thresholds of the 
more powerful citizens. The portals of the wealthy and powerful. 
Some, however, understand by superba, an allusion to the haughtiness 
displayed by the rich towards the clients at their gates. In either case, 
the reference is to the custom, prevalent at Rome, of clients wait- 
ing on their patrons to offer their morning salutations. — 12. In- 
scrit. "Ingrafts." — 13. Mugientium. Understand bourn. — 14. Erran- 
tes. "Grazing." — 16. Infirmas. "Tender." Compare the remark of 
Doring : " Natura enitn sua imbecilles sunt oves."-<-17. Decorum mitibus 
pomis. " Adorned with mellow fruit." — 19. Insitiya pira. " The pears 
of his own grafting." — 20. Certantem et uvam, &c. " And the grape 
vieing in hue with the purple." Purpura is the dative, by a Grascism, 
for the ablative. — 21. Priape. Priapus, as the god of gardens, always 
received, as an offering, the first produce of the orchards, &c. Compare 
note on Ode 3. 29. 22. — Tutor finium. "Tutelary god of boundaries." 

24 — 47. 24. In tenaci gramine. " On the matted grass." The epi- 
thet tenaci may also, but with less propriety, be rendered, " tenacious," 
or "strong-rooted." — 25. Labuntur altis, kc. "In the mean time the 
streams glide onward beneath the high banks." Some editions have ri- 
vis for ripis, but the expression altis rivis (" with their deep waters") does 
not suit the season of summer so well as altis ripis, which alludes to the 



404 EXPLANATORY NOTE3. — EPODE II. 

decrease of the waters by reason of the summer heats. — 26. Querunlvr. 
"Utter their plantive notes." — 27. Frondesque lymphis, &c. "And the 
leaves murmur amid the gently flowing waters," i. e. the pendant 
branches murmur, as they meet the rippling currentof the gently-flowing 
stream. — 28. Quod. " All which." — 29. Tonantis anmis hibermis Jovis. 
"The wintry season of tempestuous Jove." The allusion is to the tem- 
pests, intermingled with thunder, that are prevalent in Italy at the com- 
mencement of winter. — 30. Comparat. "Collects together." — 31. Mul- 
ta cane. "With many a hound." — 33. Aut amite levi, &c. "Or spreads 
the fine nets with the smooth pole." Ames denotes a pole or staff to 
support nets. — Levi. We have rendered this epithet, as coming from 
levis ; it may also, however, have the meaning of "light," and be re- 
garded as coming from levis. Consult note, page xvni, of this volume. 
— 35. Advenarn. "From foreign climes." Alluding to the migratory 
habits of the crane, and its seeking the warm climate of Italy at tfie ap- 
proach of winter. Cranes formed a favourite article on the tables of the 
rich. — 37. Quis non malarum, &c. " Who, amid employments such as 
these, does not forget the anxious cares which love carries in its train?" 
Complete the ellipsis as follows : Quis non obliviicitur malarum curarum, 
quas euros. Sec. — 39. In partem juvat,Stc. "Aid, on her side, in the ma- 
nagement of household affairs, and the rearing of a sweet offspring." — 41. 
Sabina. The domestic virtues and the strict morality of the Sabines are 
frequently alluded to by the ancient writers. — Aut perusta solibus, &c. 
"Or the wife of the industrious Apulian, embrowned by the sun."— 43. 
Sacrum. The hearth was sacred to the Lares. — Vetustis. In the sense 
ofAridis. 45. Laetum pecus. "The joyous flock." 47. Horna vina. 
" This year's wine." The poor, and lower orders, were accustomed to 
drink the new wine from the dolium, after the fermentation had subsided. 
Hence it was called vinum doliare. 

49 — 54. 49. Lucrina conchylia. " The Lucnne shell-fish." The 
Lucrine lake was celebrated for oysters and other shell-fish. — 50. Rhom- 
bus. " The turbot." — Scari. The Scarus ("Scar," or " Char,") was 
held in high estimation by the ancients. Pliny (H. N. 9. 17.) remarks 
of it, that it is the only fish which ruminates : an observation which had 
been made by Aristotle before him ; and hence, according to this latter 
writer, the name ntjpv!-, given to it by the Greeks. The ancients, however, 
were mistaken, on this point, and Buffbn has corrected their error. The 
roasted Scarus was a favourite dish (compare Athenaus 7. ed. Schweigh. 
vol. 3. ;). 175.) and the liver of it was particularly commended. — 51. Si 
quos Eois, &c. " If. a tempest, thundered forth over the Eastern waves, 
turn any of their number to this sea." — 53. Afra avis. " The Guinea- 
fowl." Some commentators suppose the turkey to be here meant, but 
erroneously, since this bird was entirely unknown to the ancients. Its 
native country is America. On the other hand, the Guinea fowl {Numi- 
da Meleagris) was a bird well known to the Greeks and Romans. — 54. 
Attagen Ionicus. " The Ionian attagen." A species, probably, of heath- 
cock. Alexander the Myndian, (Athenazus, 9. 39. vol. 3. p. 431. ed. 
Schweigh.) describes it as being a little larger than a partridge, having 
its back marked with numerous spots, in colour approaching that of a 
tile, though somewhat more reddish. Mr. Walpole thinks it is the same 
with the Tetrao Francolinus. (Walpole's Collect, vol. 1. p. 262. in notis.) 

57 — 67. 57. Herba lapathi. The lapathum, a species of sorrel, takes 
Us name (Xdnadov) from its medicinal properties, (A<Hra|w, purge) — 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE III. 405 

58. MdvcB. Compare noteon Ode 1.31.1 6.. — 59. Terminalibus. The Ter- 
minalia, or festival of Terminus, the god of boundaries, were celebrated 
on the 23d of February (7th day before the Calends of March.) — 60. 
Hcedus ereptus lupo. Compare the explanation of Gesner. " Adfruga- 
litatem rusticam refertur. JYon mactaturus paterfamilias fazdum integrum, 
epulatur ereptum lupo, et alioqui periturum," — 65. Positosque vemas, &c. 
" And the slaves ranged around the shining Lares, the proof of a wealthy 
mansion." The epithet renidentes is well explained by Doring : " Ignis 
infocoaccensisplendorerefulgentes." — 67. Hcec ubi locutus, &c. "When 
the usurer Alphius had uttered these words, on Lhe point of becoming 
an inhabitant of the country, he called in all his money on the Ides — on 
the Calends (of the ensuing month) he seeks again to lay it out !" The 
usurer, convinced of the superior felicity which a country-life can bestow, 
calls in all his outstanding capital, for the purpose of purchasing a farm ; 
but when the Calends of the next month arrive, and bring with them the 
usual period for laying out money at interest, his old habits of gain re- 
turn, the picture which he has just drawn fades rapidly from before his 
view, and the intended cultivator of the soil becomes once more the usu- 
rer Alphius.— Among the Romans, the Calends and Ides were the two 
periods of the month when money was either laid out at interest, or call- 
ed in. As the interest of money was usually paid on the Calends, they 
are hence called tristes (Serm. 1. 3. 87.) and celeres. (Ovid. Rem. Jim. 
561.) and a book in which the sums demanded were marked, was termed 
Calendarium. (Senec. Belief. 1. 2. and 7. 10. Id. Ep. 14. 87.) 



Epode 3. Maecenas had invited Horace to sup with him, and had 
sportively placed, amid the more exquisite viands, a dish highly sea- 
soned with garlic: (moretum alliatum. Compare Donatus, ad Terent. 
Phorm. 2. 2.) Of this the poet partook, but having suffered severely in 
consequence, he here wreaks his vengeance on the offending plant, de- 
scribing it as a sufficient punishment for the blackest crimes, and as 
forming one of the deadliest of poisons. 

1 — 20. 1. Olim. "Hereafter." — 3. Edit cicutis, &c. "Let him eat 
garlic, more noxious than hemlock." The poet recommends garlic as 
a punishment, instead of hemlock, the usual potion among the Athe- 
nians. Edit is given for edat, according to the ancient mode of inflect- 
ing, edim, edis, edit; like sim, sis, sit. This form is adopted in all the 
best editions. The common reading is Edat. — 4. dura messorum ilia. 
Garlickand wild-thyme (serpyllum,) pounded together, were used by the 
Roman farmers to recruit the exhausted spirits of the reapers, and those 
who had laboured in the heat. The poet expresses his surprise at their 
being able to endure such food. — 5. Q,uid hoc veneni, &c. " What poison 
is this that rages in my vitals ?" — 6. Viperinus cruor. The blood of 
vipers was regarded by the ancients as a most fatal poison. — 7. Fefellit. 
In the sense of latuit. — Jin malos Canidia, &c. " Or did Canidia dress 
the deadly dish?" Canidia, a reputed sorceress, ridiculed by the poet 
in the fifth Epode. Compare the Introductory Remarks to that piece. 
— 9. TJt. "When." — 11. Ignota tauris, &c. An hypallage for ignotis 
tauros illigaturum jugis. An allusion to the fire-breathing bulls that 
were to be yoked by Jason as one of the conditions of his obtaining 
from Aeetes the golden fleece. — 12. Perunxit hoc Iasonem. Medea 
gave Jason an unguent, with which he was to anoint his person, and by 
the virtues of which he was to be safe from harm. The poet pleasantly 



40G EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EFODE IV. 

asserts, that this was none other than the juice of garlic. — 13. Hoc deli- 
luitis, &c. " By presents infected with this having taken vengeance on 
her rival, she fled away on a winged serpent." Alluding to the fate of 
Creusa, or Glauce, the daughter of Creon, and the flight of Medea 
through the air in a car drawn by winged serpents. — 15. JVee tautus 
unquam, &c. " Nor hath such scorching heat from the stars ever set- 
tled on thirsty Apulia." The allusion is to the supposed influence of 
the dog-star m increasing the summer heats. — 17. Necmunus humeri*, 
&c. " Nor did the fatal gift burn with more fury on the shoulders of 
the indefatigable Hercules." The reference is to the poisoned garment 
which Dejanira sent to Hercules, and which had been dipped in the 
blood of the Centaur Nessus, slain by one of the arrows of Hercules. 
— 19. Si quid unquam, &c. "If thou shalt ever desire such food as 
this," i. e. such food as garlic. Concupireris is equivalent in spirit to 
comedo-is. — 20. Jocose. This epithet is here used, not with reference to 
the general character of Maecenas, but simply in allusion to the prac- 
tical joke which he had played off at the expense of the bard. Com- 
pare Introductory Remarks. 



Epode 4. Addressed to some individual, who had risen amid the 
troubles of the civil war from the condition of a slave to the rank of 
military tribune and to the possession of riches, but whose corrupt mo- 
rals and intolerable insolence had made him an object of universal de- 
testation. The bard indignantly laments, that such a man should be 
enabled to display himself proudly along the Sacred Way, should be 
the owner of extensive possessions, and should, by his rank as tribune, 
have it in his power to sit among the Equites at the public spectacles, in 
advance of the rest of the people. — The scholiasts Acron and Porphy- 
rion make this Epode to have been written against Menas, the freed- 
man of Pompey, an opinion adopted by the earlier commentators. In 
most MSS. too, it is inscribed to him. The more recent editors, how- 
ever, have rejected this supposition, and with perfect propriety. We 
read no where else of Menas' having obtained the office of military tri- 
bune, nor of any servile punishments which he had undergone in a pe- 
culiar degree, while still in a state of slavery, neither is any mention 
made here of that perfidy and frequent changing of sides which formed 
so great a blot in the character of this individual. Consult note on 
Ode 3. 16. 15. 

1 — 9. 1. Lupin et agnis, &c. "There is as strong an aversion on 
my part towards thee, O thou, whose back has been galled by the Ibe- 
rian lash, and whose legs have been lacerated by the hard fetter, as falls 
by nature to the lot of wolves and lambs." — 3. Iberkis funibus. Allu- 
ding to a lash composed of ropes made of the spartum, or Spanish 
broom. — 4. Dura compede. Among the Romans, the worse kind of 
slaves were compelled to work in fetters, as well in the ergastulum, or 
work-house, as in the fields. — 7. Sacrum metiente te viam, "As thou 
struttest proudly along the Sacred Way." The term metiente well de- 
scribes the affected dignity of the worthless upstart, in his measuring, 
as it were, his very steps. — Sacram viam. The sacred way was a gene- 
ral place of resort for the idle, and for those who wished to display them- 
selves to public view. Compare Sat. 1. 9. 1. — 8. Cum bis trium ulna- 
rum toga. The wealthy and luxurious were fond of appearing abroad in 
long and loose gowns, as a mark of their opulence and rank.— 9. Ut 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE T. 407 

ora verlat, &c. " How the indignation of those who pass to and fro, 
most openly expressed, turns their looks on thee." 

11 — 20. 11. Sectus flagellis, &c. " This wretch, (say they) cut with 
the rods of the triumvirs until the beadle was weary," &c. The allu- 
sion is to the Triumviri Capitales, who judged concerning slaves and 
persons of the lowest rank, and who also had the charge of the prison 
and of the execution of condemned criminals. — 13. Aral. In the sense 
of possidet. — Falerni fundi. The wealthy Romans were accustomed to 
have large possessions in the fertile territory of Campania, which is here 
designated by the name of its celebrated vineyards. — 14. Et Jlppiam 
mannis terit. " And wears out the very Appian way with his horses," 
i. e. is constantly frequenting the Appian way with his long train of 
equipage. — 15. Sedilibusque magnus, &c. According to the law of L. 
Roscius Otho, passed A. U. C. 686, fourteen rows of benches, imme- 
diately after the orchestra, a place where the senate sat, were appropri- 
ated in the theatre and amphitheatre for the accommodation of the 
knights. As the tribunes of the soldiers had an equal right with the 
Equites, they were entitled to seats in this same quarter; and hence 
the individual to whom the poet alludes, though of servile origin, boldly 
takes his place on the foremost of the equestrian benches, nor fears the 
law of Otho. — 17. Q,uid attinet., &c. "To what purpose is it, that so 
many vessels, their beaks armed with heavy brass, are sent against pi- 
rates and a band of slaves, if this wretch is made a military tribune?" 
The idea intended to be conveyed is as follows : Why go to so much 
expense in equipping fleets against pirates and slaves, when slaves at 
home elevate themselves to the highest stations. The allusion appears 
to be to the armament fitted out by Octavianus (Augustus) against Sextus 
Pompeius, A. U. C. 718, whose principal strength consisted of pirates 
and fugitive slaves. — 20. Tribuno militum. In each legion there were 
six military tribunes, each of whom in battle seems to have had charge 
of ten centuries, or about a thousand men ; hence the corresponding 
Greek appellation is x&i&pxnS' 



Epode 5. The bard ridicules Canidia, who, herself advanced in years, 
was seeking by incantations and charms to regain the affections of the old 
and foolish Varus. A strange scene of magicrites is introduced, and the 
piece opens with the piteous exclamations of a boy of noble birth, whom 
Canidia and her associate hags are preparing to kill by a slow and dread- 
ful process, and from whose marrow and dried liver a philtre or love- 
potion is to be prepared, all-powerful for recalling the inconstant Varus. 
It will be readily perceived that the greater part of this is mere fiction, and 
that the real object of the poet is to inflict well-merited chastisement on 
those females of the day, in whose licentious habits age had been able to 
produce no alteration, and who, when their beauty had departed, had re- 
course to strange and superstitious expedients for securing admirers. 

1 — 24 1. At, deorum, &c. The scene opens, as we have already 
remarked, with the supplications of a boy, who is supposed to be sur- 
rounded by the hags, and who reads their purpose in their looks. He con- 
jures them to have compassion on him by the tenderness of mothers for 
their children, by his birth, and by the justice of the gods. — 4. Truces. 
" Fiercely turned." — 5. Partubus veris. Alluding to the frequent stealing 
of infants on the part of these hags. — 7. Per hoc inane, &c. "By this vain 



408 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE V. 

ornament of purple." Young men of family wore a gown bordered with 
purple, called the toga pratexta, until the age of seventeen, when they put 
on the toga virilis. The epithet inane expresses the disregard of Canidia 
for this emblem of rank. — 9. Jlut uli petita, &c. " Or like a savage beast 
of prey wounded by the dart." — 11. Ut hcec tremente, &c. "When the 
boy, after having uttered these complaints with trembling lips, stood 
among them, with his ornaments stripped oflj a tender body," &c. Under 
the term insignia, the poet includes both the toga prevtexta and the bulla. 
Tlus latter was a golden ball, or boss, which hung from the neck on the 
breast, as some think in the shape of a heart, but, according to others, 
round, with the figure of a heart engraved on it. The sons of freedmen, 
and of poorer citizens, used only a leathern boss. — 15. Canidia, breribus 
bnplicata, kc. "Then Canidia, having entwined her locks and dishevel- 
led head with small vipers," &c. The costume most commonly assigned 
to the furies is here imitated. — 17. Jubet sepulcris, &c. Preparations are 
now made for the unhallowed rites ; and first, the wood to be used for the 
fire must be that of the wild-fig-tree, torn up from a burying-place. The 
wood supposed to be employed on such occasions was always that of 



some inauspicious or ill-omened tree, and in this class the wild-fig-tree 

jlarly ranked, both on account of its sterility, and its spri 
up spontaneously among tombs. — 18. Cupressus funebres. "Funereal 



cypresses." Consult note on Ode, 2. 14. 23. — 19. Et uncta turpis ova 
ranx sanguine, &c. The order of construction is as follows: Et ova noc- 
- ngis, uncta sanguine turpis ranee, phtmamque noclurnx slrigis. 
"And the eggs, smeared with the blood of a loathsome toad, and the 
plumage, of a midnight screech-owl." The ancients believed the blood of 
the toad, like that of the viper, to be poisonous. — 21. Iolcos. A city of 
Thcssaly, all which country was famed for producing herbs used in magic 
rites. Iolcos was situate, according to Pindar, (A em. 4. 87.) at the foot 
of mount Pelion, and was the birth-place of Jason and his ancestors. — 
Iberia. A tract of country bordering upon, and situate to the east of, 
Colchis. The allusion is consequently to the same herbs in the use of 
which -Media is reputed to have been so skilful. — 24. Flammis aduri 
Colchicis. " To be concocted with magic fires." The epithet Colcldcis 
is here equivalent to magicis, i. e. such fires as the Colchian Medea was 
wont to kindle, from the wood of baleful trees, for the performance of her 
magic rites. 

25 — 46. 25. Expedita. "With her robe tucked up." The term may 
also be simply rendered, " active." Consult note on Epode 1. 34. — 
Sagana. Sagana, Veia, and Folia were sorceresses attendant on Canidia. 
— 26. Averkales aquas. Waters brought from the lake Avernus, and 
used here for the purposes of magic lustration. — 27. Marinus echinus. 
"A sea-urchin." The sea-urchin among fishes is analogous to the 
hedge-hog among land-animals, and hence the name echinus (e%7m) ap- 
plied by the ancients to both. The sea-urchin, however, has finer and 
sharper prickles than the other, resembling more human hair in a bristly 
state. — 28. Laurens aper. The marshes of Laurentum, in ancient Lati- 
um, were famous for the number and size of the wild boars which they 
bred in their reedy pastures. — 29. Jlbacla nulla conscienlia. " Deterred 
by no remorse." — 30. Humum exhauriebat. " Began to dig a pit." — 32. 
Quo posset infossus puer, &c. " In which the boy, having his body buried, 
might pine away in full view of food changed twice or thrice during the 
long day." The expression longo die is well explained by Mitscherlich : 
" Qui puerofame excruciato longissimus videbatur." — 35. Quumpromineret 
ore, &c. " Projecting with his face above the surface of the ground, as 



EXPLANATORY NOTES — EPODE V. 4Ua 

far as bodies suspended by the chin are out of the water," i. e. as far as 
the persons of those who swim appear above the level of the water. — 37. 
Exsucca medulla. "His marrow destitute of moisture." — 38. Amoris 
esset poculum. " Might form the ingredients of a portion for love." A 
philtre, which had the power of producing love. — 39. Interminato qaum 
semel, &c. "When once his eye-balls had withered away, fixed steadily 
on the forbidden food." Quum semel is here equivalent to simul ac. — 42. 
Ariminensem. " The Ariminian." A native of Ariminum, now Rimini, 
the first town on the coast of Umbria, below the Rubicon. — 43. Otiosa 
Neapolis. " Idle Naples." This city, by the advantage of its situation, 
and the temperature of its climate, was always regarded as the abode of 
idleness and pleasure. The epithet otiosa may also be applied to Naples 
as the seat of literary leisure, but with less propriety in the present in- 
stance. — 45. Excantata. "Charmed from their places." — Voce Thessala. 
"By magic spell." Consult note on verse 21. — 46. Lunamque coelo de- 
ripit. That the moon could be brought down by magic was a common 
superstition among the ancients, and the Thessalians were thought to 
be possessed of this art more than any other people. 

47 — 66. 47. Hie irresectum, &c. The long, uncut nail, occupies a 
prominent place in the costume of the ancient sorceresses. — 49. Quid 
dixit ? aut quid tacuit ? Equivalent in spirit to Nefaria quceque effata et 
palam profess a est. — 51. Nox et Diana. Canidia, after the manner of sor- 
ceresses, invokes Night and Hecate, who were supposed to preside over 
magic rites. — Quce silentium regis. An allusion to Diana's shining during 
the silence of the night, the season best adapted for the ceremonies of 
magic. — 53. Nunc, nunc adeste, &c. Mitscherlich makes this an imita- 
tion of an old form of prayer, and equivalent to : " Mihi propiticz sitis, 
ira vestra in hostes abligata." The scholiast is wrong in supposing the 
meaning of the latter part to be, " in Varum iram vestram effundite. — 54. 
Numen. " Power." — 57. Senem, quod omnes rideant, &c. " May the dogs 
of the Subura drive him hither with their barking, that all may laugh at 
his expense, the aged profligate, anointed with an essence more powerful 
than any which my hands have hitherto prepared." — Senem adulterum. 
The allusion is to Varus, and the manner in which he is here indicated 
by Canidia, tends indirectly to cast ridicule upon herself for seeking to 
reclaim such an admirer. — 58. Suburana canes. The Subura was the 
most profligate quarter of Rome, and the rambles of Varus, therefore, 
in this part of the capital, were any thing else but creditable. — 59. Nardo 
perunctum. The allusion here is an ironical one. Canidia does not re- 
fer to any actual unguent of her own preparing, but to the virtues of the 
magic herbs, which are to be all powerful in recalling the inconstant Va- 
rus. — 61. Quid accidit, &c. The dash at the end of the preceding verse 
is placed there to denote, that Canidia, after having proceeded thus far 
with her incantations, pauses in expectation of the arrival of Varus, 
which is to be their intended result. When this, however, is delayed 
longer than she imagined it would be, the sorceress resumes her spell : 
" What has happened ? Why are my direful drugs less powerful than 
those of the barbarian Medea ?" i. e. Why have these once efficacious 
spells lost all their power in bringing back the absent Varus ? — Barbara. 
This epithet, here applied to Medea, in imitation of the Greek usage, is 
intended merely to designate her as a native of a foreign land, i. e. Col- 
chis. — 63. Quibus superbam fugit, &c. Consult note on Epode 3. 13. — 
65. Tabo. Equivalent to veneno. — 66. Incendio abstulit. Compare the 
graphic picture drawn by Euripides (Med. 1183. seqq.) of the unearthly 
fires which consumed the unfortunate, rival of Medea. 



410 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE V. 

63—77. 68. Fefellit me. "Has escaped my notice."— 69. Indormit 
Unctis, &e. The order of construction is as follows : '• Indormit cubiiibus 
omnium aliarum pellicum, unctis oblivione mei." .The expression unctis 
oblivione mei is entirely figurative, as if the beds, to which she alludes,, 
had been perfumed with drugs which inspired Varus with a complete 
forgetfulness of herself. — 71. Ah 1 ah! solutus, &c. At the conclusion 
of the last verse, Canidia is supposed to stand for a moment lost in 
meditation as to the cause which could have rendered her spells so in- 
efficient. On a sudden, discovering the reason, she exclaims, " Ah ! 
ah ! he roves about, set free by the charm of some more skilful sorce- 
ress." — 73. Non usitatis, Vare, potionibus, &c. " By the force of strange 
potions then, O Varus, (thou that are destined to shed many tears) shalt 
thou return to me ; nor shall thy affections ever go buck again to another, 
though attempted to be called off by Marsian enchantments." The term 
mxdta is here put by a Gnecism for mxdtum. 74. Caput. Equivalent 
here to the personal pronoun tu. Compare Ode, 1. 24. 1. — 76. Marsis 
vocibits. The Marsi, according to some authorities, (Plin. H. A*. 7. 2.), 
were descended from Marsus, a son of Circe, and hence were repre- 
sented as potent enchanters. — 77. Majus parabo, &c. " I will prepare 
a more efficacious, I will mix for thee, disdaining me, a more potent, 
draught. And sooner shall the heavens sink beneath the sea, the earth 
being spread above, than thou not so burn with love for me as this bitu- 
men now burns amid the gloomy fires." "While uttering this spell, Ca- 
nidia casts the bitumen into the magic fire, from which a dark, thick 
smoke immediately arises. 

83 — 101. 83. Sub haec. "Upon this."— 84. Lenire. "Attempted to 
move." The infinitive is here nut for the imperfect of the indicative. 
This construction is usually explained by an ellipsis of coepit or coeperunt, 
which may often be supplied ; in othercases, however, it will not accord 
with the sense. In the present instance, tentavit may be understood. — ■ 
There appears to be some analogy between this usage of the infinitive 
in Latin, and the idiom of the Greek, by which the same mood, taken 
as an absolute verbal idea only, is made to stand for the imperative. — 
85. Unde. "In what words." The unhappy boy is at a loss in what 
words to express his angry and indignant feelings at the horrid rites 
practised by the hags, and at the still more horrid cruelty which they 
meditate toward himself. — 86. Thyesteas preces. "Imprecations." Such 
as Thyestes uttered against Atreus. — 87. Venena magica, &c. "Drugs, 
of magic influence, may confound indeed the distinctions between right 
and wrong, but they cannot alter the destiny of mortals." The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is this : The spells of the sorceress may succeed 
in accomplishing the darkest of crimes, but they cannot avert the pun- 
ishment which such offences will inevitably receive. — 89. Dins agam vos. 
" With my curses will I pursue you." After diris understand precibus. 

—92. Nocturnus occurrum Furor. " I will haunt you as a tormentor in 
the night-season." — 94. Quae vis deorum, &c. " Such is the power of 
those divinities the Manes." The ellipsis is to be supplied as follows : 
" Ea vi quae vis est," &c. — 97. Vicatim. " From street to street." — 98. 
Obscenas anus. "Filthy hags." — 99. Different. "Shall tear." — 100. 
Esquilinae alites. The birds of prey frequented the Esquiline quarter, 
because here the bodies of malefactors were left exposed, and here also 
the poor, and slaves, were interred. Subsequently, however, the cha- 
racter of the place was entirely changed by the splendid residence and 

gardens of Maecenas. Consult note on Ode, 3. 29. 10. — 101. Neque 
hoc parentes, &.c. The boy'a last thoughts, observes Francis, are ten- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE VI. VII. 411 

derly employed in reflecting upon the grief of his parents ; yet he seems 
to comfort them, and at the same time to confirm the truth of his pre 
diction by that consolation which they shall receive in the death of these 
Eorceresses. 



Epode 6. Addressed to a cowardly and mercenary slanderer. — It is 
commonly thought that this piece was written against Cassius Severus, 
and, in many editions, it appears with an inscription to this effect. Such 
a supposition, however, is perfectly gratuitous. It is probable that the 
title in question originated with some scholiast, who, having read in Ta- 
citus (Jinn. 1. 72. and 4. 21.) of the licentious spirit and defamatory pen 
of Cassius Severus, erroneously imagined him to be the one whom the 
poet here attacks. 

1 — 14. 1. Quid immerentes, &c. " Thou cur, why, being cowardly 
against wolves, dost thou snarl at inoffensive strangers ?" By the term 
hospites are here meant those who are entirely unknown to the individual, 
but whom he, notwithstanding, makes the subjects of his envenomed 
attacks. — 3. Inanes. As proceeding from a cowardly and spiritless cur. 
— 4. Remorsurum. "Who am ready to bite in return." — 5. Molossus, 
aut fulvus Lacon. " A Molossian, or a tawny Laconian dog." The 
Molossian and Laconian dogs were of a robust make, and valuable as 
well in hunting wild beasts, as in defending the flocks from nocturnal 
thieves, and from the attacks of wolves. The Molossi occupied the 
north-eastern part of Epirus. — 6. Jlmica vis. " A friendly aid." — 7. Jigam 
quascimque prcecedet /era. " I will pursue whatever savage beast shall go 
before me." Put for again quamcunque qua mild prcecedet feram. — 10. 
Projection odoraris cibum. "Smell at the food thrown to thee." A figu- 
rative mode of expressing that the individual whom he attacks was easily 
bribed to silence. — 12. Parata tollo cornua. The poet alludes to his Iam- 
bics, with which he stands prepared to assail all evil-doers, as the bull is 
ready with its horns against every one who provokes it to the attack. — 
13. Qualis Lycambce, &c. "Like him who was rejected as a son-in-law 
by the faithless Lycambes, or like the fierce enemy of Bupalus." Ly- 
cambce is the dative, by a Graecism, for the ablative, and by another Grre- 
cism, Bupalo, the dative, is put for Bupali — Lycambce. The allusion is 
to Archilochus. Lycambes had promised him his daughter Neobule in 
marriage, but afterwards changed his mind and gave her to another. 
Archilochus, in revenge, wrote a poem against him, in Iambic verse, so 
cruelly satirical that both father and daughter hung themselves in despair. 
Such at least is the common account. It would seem, however, from 
some authorities, that Neobule killed herself, not on account of the verses 
of Archilochus, but through despair at the loss of her father. Compare 
Schoell, Hist. Lit. Grcec. vol. 1. p. 199. — 14. Bupalo. The allusion is to 
the poet Hipponax, and the brothers Bupalus and Anthermus. 



Epode 7. After the overthrow of Sextus Pompeius, the Republic 
seemed once more destined to taste of repose. The respite, however, 
was of short duration, and the enmity of Octavianus and Antony soon 
rekindled the flames of war. It was about this period that the present 
poem was written. The bard mourns over the intestine divisions of his 
countrymen, and imputes the horrors of the civil wars to the evil destiny 
entailed upon the Romans by the blood of Remus. 
38 



412 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE IX. 

1 — 20. 1. Scelesti. "Stained with guilt." An allusion to the guilt and 
bloodshed of the civil wars. — 2. Conditi. "So lately sheathed." Un- 
derstand Dogims. The poet refers to the short period of repose which 
ensued after the overthrow of Sextus Pompeius. Compare Introductory 
Remarks. — 3. Campis atque Neptuno super. " On the fields, and on the 
Ocean." Equivalent to terra marique. Compare Ode 2. 1. 29. — 5. Nun ut 
superbas, &.c. The idea intended to be conveyed is as follows. These 
swords are not drawn against the enemies of our country, as they were 
in former days against haughty Carthage, and as they now should be 
against the Britons still bidding defiance to our arms : they are to be 
turned upon ourselves, they are to enter our own bosoms, in order that 
the wishes of the Parthians, of our bitterest foes, may be accomplished, 
and that Rome may fall in ruin by the hands of her sons. — 7. Jnlaclus. 
" Still unsubdued." — Descenderet Sacra catcnatus via. " Might descend 
in chains along the Sacred Way." i. e. might be led in triumph through 
the streets of the capital, and, after this, be consigned to imprisonment 
and death. In the celebration of the triumph, the Roman general, when 
he began to turn his chariot from the Forum to the Capitoline mount, or- 
dered the captive kings, and leaders of the enemy, to be led to prison and 
there put to death, (in carcerem descendere.) — 11. Hie mos. " This cus- 
tom" of raging against their own species. — Fuit. The aorist, in the 
sense of deprelienditur, "is found." — 12. Nunquam nisi in disparferis. — 
" Which are never cruel except towards animals of a different kind." — 
13. Vis acrior. " Some superior power." — 14. Culpa. "The guilt of your 
forefathers, entailed upon their offspring." The allusion is to the guilt of 
Romulus, which is to be atoned for by posterity. — 15. Pallor albus. " A 
deadly paleness." Consult note on Ode 3. 10. 14. — 16. Mtntesque per- 
culsa stupent. "And their conscience-stricken minds are stupified."— 
17. Sic est, &.C After a pathetic pause, as Sanadon remarks, Horace 
adheres to the two last causes he had mentioned. He therefore imputes 
the civil wars to the destinies, and to the death of Remus ; as if the 
destinies had condemned the Romans to expiate the fratricide of that 
prince by destroying one another with their own arms. This was going 
very far'back in order to remove the idea of the real cause of their present 
calamities. — Jigvttt. " Harass." — 18. Scelusque fratcrncc necis. The 
guilt of Romulus in slaying his brother Remus. — 19. Ut. "Ever since."— - 
20. Sacernepotibus. "Fatal to posterity." Compare the explanation of 
the scholiast, as cited by Zeune, " Quem suo cruore expiatmi erant." 



Epode 9. Written when the news of the victory at Actium was first 
received at Rome. The bard addresses his patron, then at the scene of 
action. 

1 — 15. 1. Repostum Ccecubum ad festas dapes. "Caecuban wine re- 
served for joyous feasts." Consult note on Ode 1. 20. 9. — 3. Sub alta 
domo. "Beneath thy stately abode." Consult note on Ode 3. 29. 10. 
— Sic Jovi gratum. "So is it pleasing to Jove," i. e. in doing this, we 
shall be performing an act agreeable to Jove, the guardian of our em- 
pire. — 4. Beate. This epithet has reference to the opulence of Maece- 
nas, to his lofty abode on the Esquiline, (alta domus,) his beautiful gar- 
dens, &c. — 5. Sonante mixtum tibiis, &c. " While the lyre sends forth 
a strain intermingled with the music of flutes, that uttering the Dorian, 
these the Phrygian mood." With hac understand sonante ; with Mis, 
swiantibus. The music of the lyre and the flute are to succeed each 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE IX. 413 

Other alternately, the strains of the former are to be grave and severe, 
such being the character of the Dorian mood, the music of the flutes, on 
the other hand, is to be of a wild and bacchic character, in accordance 
with the Phrygian mood. — 7. Actus cumfreto Neptunius dux. " When 
the Neptunian chief, driven from the Sicilian strait." The allusion is 
to Sextus Pompeius, who boastingly styled himself the son of Neptune, 
because his father had once held the command of the sea. — 10. Servis 
amicus perfidis. According to Dio Cassius, (43. 19.) the number of fugi- 
tive slaves, who went over to Pompeius, was so great, that the Vestal 
Virgins were accustomed, during the performance of sacred rites, to 
offer up prayers for a cessation of this evil. — 11. Romanus. The allu- 
sion is to the Romans in the army of Antony. — 12. Emancipatus femi- 
nce. " Subjected as a voluntary slave to a woman." The reference is 
to Cleopatra. — 13. Fert vallum et armamiles, &c. " Bears the stake, and 
arms, as a soldier, and can yield obedience to withered eunuchs." The 
poet expresses his indignation, that Romans, hardy enough to endure 
the toils of military service, can, at the same time, be so wanting in spi- 
rit, as to yield obedience to the orders of eunuchs. The allusion, in the 
words fert vallum, is to that part of Roman discipline, which compelled 
each soldier to carry, among other things, a certain number of stakes 
(usually three or four) to be used in encamping. — Spadonibus. The al- 
lusion seems to be principally to the eunuch Mardion, who, according 
to Plutarch, along with Pothinus, Iras, and Charmion, had the chief 
direction of Cleopatra's affairs, (v<f>' <5y ra/Myiora <5ioiK£(r<u rijs f/ysnovta;. 
Pint. Vit. Jut. c. 60.— voZ. 6. p. 132. ed. Hutten.)— 15. Turpe conopium. 
" A vile Egyptian canopy." The conopium was a canopy, curtain, or 
veil of net-work, used for the purpose of keeping off" gnats and flies. 
It was principally employed by the Egyptians, on account of the great 
number of these insects produced by the marshes of the Nile. The 
scholiast, in his explanation of the term, furnishes us with its etymo- 
logy: " Genus retis ad muscas et culices, (xuiv(axas) abigendos, quo Alex- 
andria potissimum utuntur propter culicum illic abundantiam.''' 1 To a 
genuine Roman spirit the use of such an article appeared degrading 
effeminacy. 

17 — 22. 17. Jld hoc frementes, &c. "Indignant at this spectacle, 
two thousand Gauls turned about their steeds, bidding Caesar hail." 
The poet evidently alludes to the defection of Deiotarus and Amyntas, 
two leaders of the Gallo-Greecians, or Galatians, who went over to 
Augustus a short time previous to the battle of Actium. In the motive, 
however, which Horace assigns for this step, there is more of bitter sar- 
casm than historical truth. — Verterunt. The penult is here shortened 
by Systole, as it is called. — 19. Hostiliumque navium portu latent, &c. 
" And the sterns of hostile ships, impelled towards the left, lie concealed 
in the harbour." In order to understand clearly this somewhat obscure 
passage, we must bear in mind, that the present piece was written be- 
fore any very definite particulars respecting the battle of Actium had 
reached the capital. The poet, therefore, exercises some license on the 
occasion, and supposes that a division of Antony's fleet, equally indig- 
nant with the Gallic horsemen, retired from the fight into the harbour, 
and, in order that their defection might be less apparent, rowed their 
vessels astern, or impelled them into the harbour stern foremost. (Com- 
pare the Greek expression, irpijivav Kpoicaadai, and Valckenaer, ad Hero- 
dot. 8. 84.) In executing this movement they would have necessarily 
to move towards the left, as Antony's fleet was drawn up on the right 
and facing Italy. — 21. Io Triwnphe ! &c. The poet, personifying Tri- 



414 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE X. 

umph, addresses it as a god, and complains of its tardy approach. The 
idea intended to be conveyed by the whole passage from the present line 
to the 26th, both inclusive, is simply as follows : When shall we cele- 
brate the triumph due to this most glorious victory, a triumph to be 
ranked far before both that of Marius over Jugurtha, and that of Scipio, 
for the overthrow of Carthage ? — .iureos currus. Alluding to the trium- 
phal chariot, which was wont to be adorned with gold and ivory. — 22. 
Intactus boves. The Roman triumphs always ended with a sacrifice to 
Jove, and the victims, as in every other offering to the gods, were to be 
such as had never felt the yoke. With intactas, therefore, we must un- 
derstand jugo. 

23—38. 23. Nee Jueurthino parem, &c. " Thou didst neither bring 
back a leader equal to him from the warof Jugurtha, nor Africanus, unto 
whom valour reared a monument upon the ruins of Carthage," i. e. Ma- 
rius did not return with equal glory from the subjugation of Jugurtha, 
nor the younger Africanus from the destruction of Carthage. — 27. Pvnico 
lugubre mutarit sagum. "Has changed his purple robe for one of mourn- 
ing." An hypallage, for mutavit Punicum sagum lugubri sago. TheRoman 
sagum was properly a military robe : here, however, the term is taken 
in a more extended sense. The allusion in the text is to Antony, and the 
epithet Punico may either refer simply to thccolourof bis paludamentum, or 
general's robe, or else, what appears preferable, may contain a general cen- 
sure on the previous luxury ami splendour of his attire. — 29.Jlutille centum 
nobUtm, &c. Thispassai"' would seem to confirm the truth of theremark 
made in a previous note, (v. 19. J that no accurate accounts had as yet 
reached the capital, either respecting the details of the fight itself, or the 
ulterior movements of Antony. — 30. Ventis run sum. " With unpropi- 
tious winds." — 31. Extrcilalas Nolo. "Agitated by the blast of the 
South." As regards the Syrtes, consult note on Ode 1. 7. 22. — 33. 
Capaciores affer hue, &c The joy of Horace was too lively, as Dacier 
remarks, to wait the return of Maecenas. He celebrates the victory the 
moment he receives the news, and he thinks his apprehensions for the 
safety of Octavianus ought now to cease, for it was not known at Rome, 
that he intended to complete his conquest by pursuing Antony, and ex- 
posing himself to new dangers. — 35. Fluentem nauseam. "The rising 
qualm." — 37. Rerum. " For the interests." — 38. Lyceo. Consult note 
on Ode 1. 22. 4. 



Epode 10. Addressed to Maavius, a contemptible poet of the day, 
wbo was on the eve of embarking for Greece. The bard prays heartily 
that he m.iy be shipwrecked, and vows a sacrifice to the storms if they 
will but destroy him. — This Masvius is the same with the one to whom 
Virgil satirically alludes in his 3d Eclogue (v. 90.) " Qui Bavlum non 
odit, amet tua carmina Mczvi." He would seem to have incurred the re- 
sentment of both Virgil and Horace by his railing and slanderous pro- 
pensities. 

1 — 24. 1. Mala soluta, &c. " The vessel, loosened from her moor- 
ings, sails forth under evil auspices, bearing as she does the fetid Mae- 
vius." — 2. Olentem. Compare the explanation of Mitscherlich: "Hir~ 
cini odoris bwnem." Rutgersius (Lect. Venus. 10. 10.) thinks, that 
this epithet is rather meant to be applied to the character of Masvius as* 
a poet, and to his affectation of obsolete words. There is far more or 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE XI. 415 

bitter satire, however, in olentem, if considered as a personal allusion. — 
3. Utrumque latus. "Each side of her." Understand navis. — 4. Jluster. 
The poet enumerates the winds Jluster, Eurus, and Jlquilo, in order to 
convey a livelier image of a tempest, by the contending together of these 
opposing blasts. — 5. Niger rudent.es Eurus, &c. " May the dark south- 
east wind scatter her rigging and her shivered oars in the sea turned up 
from its lowest depths." — 7. Quantus. " With as great fury as," i. e. 
with all the fury it has, when, &c. — 8. Trementes. " Waving to and fro 
beneath the blast." — 9. Sidus amicum. " The star friendly to mariners." 
The allusion is to the Dioscuri. Consult note on Ode 1. 3. 2. — 10. 
Orion. Consult note on Ode 3. 27. 17. — 12. Quam Graia victorum ma- 
ntis, &c. The poet alludes to the destruction by Minerva, of the vessel 
that bore the Oilean Ajax, and to the shipwreck of the Grecian fleet 
off the promontory of Caphareus in Euboea. — 16. Pallor luteus. Consult 
note on Ode 3. 10. 14. — 18. Aversum ad Jovem. " To unpropitious 
Jove." — 19. Ionius udo, &c. "When the Ionian sea, roaring with the 
blasts of the rainy South." The term sinus, here applied to the Ionian 
sea, has reference to its being bent into numerous gulfs. In strict 
geographical language, however, the expression Ionius sinus, about the 
time of Horace, denoted merely a part of the Adriatic. — 21. Opima quod 
si, &c. The poet vows a sacrifice to the Tempests, if the corpse of the 
shipwrecked Maavius, cast unburied on the shore, become the prey of 
birds. Some commentators refer the expression opima prceda to corpu- 
lence of person on the part of Masvius. This, however is mere conjec- 
ture. The words may with more propriety, be rendered, "a dainty 
prey." — 24. Tempestatibus. The ancients were accustomed to sacrifice 
a black lamb to the Storms and Tempests, and a white one to the 
Western wind. 



Epode 11. Addressed to Pectius. 

5 — 15. 5. December. Put by Synecdoche for annus. — 6. Silvis honorem 
decutit. " Shakes their leafy honours from the woods." — 8. Fabula quanta 
fuu "What a subject of conversation I have been." — Conviviorum et 
pamitet, &c. "It repents me too of those entertainments, at which dejec- 
tion and silence discovered the lover, and the sigh heaved from the depth 
of my heart." — 11. Contrane lucrum, &c. " A candid and an honest heart, 
in one of scanty means, is to avail nothing then against the love of gain." 
The train of ideas in this whole passage, is as follows : Thou, O Pectius, 
must remember, how I once complained to thee, when wine had disclosed 
the secrets of my breast; how I lamented that my sincere and constant 
affection seemed of no value in the eyes of Inachia, because fortune had 
not blessed me with abundant means, while, eager for gain, she sought 
only after wealthy admirers. — 13. Simul calentis inverecundus deus, &c. 
"As soon as the god, who drives away false shame from the breast, had 
removed from their place the secrets of my heart, warming under the in- 
fluence of cheering wine." The epithet inverecundus, applied here to 
Bacchus, is well explained by Mitscherlich : " Qui verecundiam abstergit, 
tacenda proloqui jubet." As regards calentis, we must, in a literal transla- 
tion, understand with it mei, ("the secrets of me warming," &c.) — 15. 
Quod si meis, &c. " But if indignation, no longer to be repressed, rage in 
my bosom, so as to scatter to the winds these useless remedies, in no re- 
spect alleviating my cruel wound, my shame, being removed, shall cease 
to vie with unequal rivals," i. e. I shall no longer blush at yielding the 



416 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XIII. 

prize to wealthier rivals. The /omenta, of which the poet speaks, are the 
hopes which he had all along entertained that Inachin would at length be 
sensible of the superior value of his affection. With this hope he was 
consoling himself, until at length, his indignation at her neglect could no 
longer be repressed, and he resolved to abandon her forever. 

19 — 22. 19. Ubi haze severus, &c, " When, with firm resolve, I had 
made these declarations in thy presence." As regards the meaning which 
laudare here bears, compare the remark of Jlvlus Oellius (2. 6.) "Laudare 
aigntfUat, prisea lingua, nominare appdlareque." Hence this verb is fre- 
quently used (especially in the editorial Latinity of modern times) in the 
sense of " to mention," " cite," " quote," " call by name," &c. Some edi- 
tors make the meaning of ubi hac laudaveram to be : " when I had ap- 
plauded myself for this resolution." Such an interpretation is not correct. 
— Te palam. The ablative here depends on palam, which has the force of 
a preposition. This is far, however, from being an faa| \cy6ntvov, as some 
critics seem to think. Other examples of a similar usage are as follows: 
Livy, G. 14 : " palam populo." Ovid. Jl. A. 2. 549 : Trial. 5. 10. 49: "me 
palam." JtucL Cons, ad Liv. (in Ovid.) 442 : " palam omnibus," and Liv. 
25. 18, where Gronovius retains omnibus, but Drakenborch rejects it. — 20. 
Jussus. Understand ate. — Ferebar incerto pede. "I was carried with 
wavering foot-step." The poet's resolution soon fails, and, on endeavour- 
ing to reach his own home, in compliance with the admonition of his 
friend, he finds himself once more at the gate of Inachia. Some commen- 
tators make incerto pede refer to the uncertain footsteps of an angry and 
agitated man: this however, is decidedly inferior. — 22. Quikus lumbos et 
infregi lalus. "On which I once bruised my loins and side." 



Epode 13. Addressed to a party of friends, with whom the poet wishes 
to spend a day of rain and storm amid the joys of wine. He exhorts them 
to seize the present hour, and to dismiss the future from their thoughts. 
To add weight to this Epicurean maxim, the authority of the Centaur 
Chiron is adduced, who advises the young Achilles, since fate had 
destined him for a short career, to dispell his cares with wine and 
song. 

1 — 6. 1. Horrida tempestas coelnm contraxit. "A gloomy tempest has 
condensed the skies." — 2. Deducunt Jovem. " Bring down the upper air." 
By Jupiter is here meant the higher part of the atmosphere, ((ether.) The 
ancients considered rain as the air dissolved. — SUuee. A Diaeresis, on ac- 
count of the metre, for silvm. — 3. Rapiamus, amici, &c. " My friends, let 
us seize the opportunity which this day presents." — 5. Obducta solvatur 
fronte sentctus. " Let the clouded brow of sadness be relaxed." Literally : 
"let sadness, with clouded brow, be relaxed." Senectus does not here 
mean age, but " sadness" or "melancholy." Compare the scholium of 
Porphyrion: " Senectutemp-o gravitate ac severitate accipe." — 6. Tu vina 
Torquato move, &c. The poet, eager for the expected entertainment, 
imagines liis friends already present, and, addressing himself to one of the 
party supposed to be assembled, exclaims : "Do thou produce the wine, 
pressed when my Torquatus was consul." The force of move, in this 
passage, is best explained on tire principle that this was to be a feast of 
contribution, and that Horace calls first upon him who was to furnish the 
wine." The wine to be drunk on this occasion, is that which had been 
made in the year when L. Manlius Torquatus was consul. Consult note 
on Ode, 3. 21. 1. 



explanatory notes. — epode xiv. xv. 417 

7 — ig. 7. Catera mitte loqui. "Cease to talk of other things." The 
poet alludes to some cause of anxiety on the part of his friend. — Deus 
hcec fortasse benigna, &c. " Perhaps the deity will, by a kind change, 
restore what now disquiets thee to its former state. — 8. Jlchcemenio. 
Consult note on Ode, 3. 1. 44. — Cyllenea. The lyre is here called " Cyl- 
lenean," because invented by Mercury, who was born on Cyllene, a 
mountain in the northern part of Arcadia, on the borders of Achia. — 11. 
Nobilis Centaurus. Chiron. — Mumno. Achilles. — 13. Assaraci tellus. 
" The land of Assaracus," i. e. Troy. Assaracus, son of Tros, was 
one of the ancient monarchs of Troy. — 15. Curto subtemine. "By a 
short thread." The common lection, certo subtemine, ("by a thread that 
fixes thy destiny," ) is far inferior. The term subtemen means properly 
the woof or weft, i. e. the threads inserted into the warp. — 18. Deformis 
<egrimoni<B, &.c. " The sweet soothers of disfiguring melancholy." 



Epode 14. Horace had promised to address an Iambic poem to his 
patron Maecenas. Having neglected, however, to fulfil his word, he met 
with a gentle reproach from the latter, and now seeks to excuse the 
omission by ascribing it to the all-engrossing power of love. 

1 — 13. I. Mollis inertia, Sac. The order of construction is as follows: 
Candide Mcecenas, occidis scepe rogando, cur mollis inertia diffuderit tantam 
Mivionem imis sensibus, ul si traxerim, arenle fauce, pocula ducentia Le~ 
thceos somnos. — 3. Pocula Lethceos ducentia somnos. " Cups that bring on 
Lethsean slumbers," i. e. the waters of Lethe. — 4. Arente fauce. "With 
parched throat." Equivalent to avide. — 6. Deus. Alluding to the god 
of love. — Nam. Elliptical. The connection is as follows : No effemi- 
nate indolence, no forgetfulness like that produced by the waters of 
Lethe, is to blame ; "for a god, a god forbids me," &c. — 8. Adumbilicum 
adducere. " To bring to an end." Among the Romans, when a book 
or volume was finished, it was rolled around a taper stick, made of cedar, 
box, ivory, or the like, and called umbilicus from its being in the middle 
when the work was rolled around it. The poets generally use the plural 
form of this word, in allusion to the parts which projected on either side 
of the book : the two extremities were called cornua. Some, however, 
suppose that by umbilici are meant balls or bosses, placed at either end 
of the stick. Whatever the true solution of this point may be, for it is 
certainly involved in some doubt, the meaning of the phrase ad umbilicum 
adducere, will still be the same, viz. " to bring to an end," " to finish," &c. 
— 12. Npn elaboratum ad pedem. "In careless measure." — 13. Q,uodsi 
non pulchrior ignis, &c. " But if no brighter fire kindled besieged Ilium, 
rejoice in thy happy lot," i. e. if thy Lycimnia is as fair as the Grecian 
Helen, whose beauty caused the siege and the conflagration of Troy, then 
art thou, Maecenas, a happy man. 



Epode 15. The bard complains of the faithless Neaera. 

1—23. 2. Inter minora sidera. Compare Ode 1. 12. 47. " Velut inter 
ignes Luna minores." — 4. In verba mea. " To the form of words which 
I dictated." Jurare in verba alicujus, is to swear according to a form 
prescribed by another, who goes over the words before us, and is hence 
said praire verbis.— Intonsosque agitaret, &c. " And the breeze should 



418 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE XVI. 

agitate the unshorn locks of Apollo." A beautifully poetic expression 
for " dum .{polio juventute gaudereU" One of the most conspicuous attri- 
butes of Apollo was unfading youth. Consult note on Ode 1. 21. 2. — 
11. Dolitura mea, &c. "Destined deeply to grieve at my firmness of 
resolve." — 12. Tin'. Compare Terence, Eunuch. 1. 1. 21. " Sentiet (sc. 
Thais) qui vir stem," and again, 1. 2.74. " Eu noster ! laudo, tandem 
perdoluit : vires." — 15. JV'cc semel offensa, &c. " Nor will my determi- 
nation yield to thy beauty when once it has become odious in my eyes," 
i. e. if 1 once hate thee for thy perfidy, that hatred will be lasting. — 16. 
Si cert 'us intrarit dolor. "If a firm and indignant resolution shall have 
once entered my breast." — 18. Superbus. "Exulting." — 20. Pactolus. 
A river of Lydia, fabled to have golden sands. — 21. Ftillant. For lateant. 
— Renati. "Who again and again sprang up into existence." Consult 
note on Ode 1. 28. 10.— 23. JfCrea. Consult note on Ode 3. 20. 15. 



Epode 16. The Republic, as Sanadon remarks, had been violently 
agitated by civil commotions for almost sixty years, beginning with the 
days of Marius and Sylla. A fresh scene of bloodshed was now ap- 
proaching, and the quarrel between Octavianus and Antony threatened 
the Roman world with a general dissolution. A battle was expected, 
and that battle was to decide, as it were, the fate of the universe. An 
event of such deep interest engrossed the minds of men. A feeling of 
uncertainty, as to the issue of the contest, filled them with alarm, and 
a remembrance of the preceding wars collected into one point of view 
all the horrors which they had produced. The poet, amid these scenes 
of terror, composed this Epode. He proposes to the Romans a deser- 
tion of tin ir country, and a retreat to the Fortunate Islands, where the 
gods promised them a more tranquil, and a happier life. To confirm 
this advice, the example of the Phocasans is cited, who abandoned their 
native city rather than live under the dominion of Cyrus, and bound 
themselves by a common oath never to return. 

1 — 13. 1. Altera jum tcritur, &c. "A second age is now wasting 
away in civil wars." By this second age is underwood the period which 
intervened between the death of Cajsar and the contest of Octavianus 
and Antony. The first age extended from the entrance of Sylla into 
Rome with an armed force to the death of Caesar. If we make the pre- 
sent epode to have been written A. U. C. 721, the whole antecedent 
period here referred to would be 56 years ; and, if we allow, as i3 com- 
monly done, 30 years to an cctas (or yevta) the " second age" wa3 within 
four years of its completion. — 2. Ipsa. "Of her own accord." Equi- 
valent to the Greek airi). — 3. Quamnequefiniti mi, &c. The order of 
construction is as follows : Nos, impia alas, devoti sanguinis, perdemus 
earn civilalem, quam neque, &c. — 3. Marsi. The poet assigns the first 
place to the Marsic, or Social War, as most fraught with danger to the 
Republic. — 4. Minacis aid Elrusca, &c. Alluding to the efforts of Por- 
sena in behalf of the banished Tarquins, and the siege which Rome in 
consequence underwent. — 5. JEmula nee virtus Capua. " Nor the rival 
strength of Capua." The allusion, in the text, appears to be to the 
bearing of Capua after the overthrow of Canna?, when, as it would 
seem from Livy, she aimed at the empire of all Italy. Compare Livy, 
23. 6. — Spartacus. Consult note on Ode 3. 14. 19. — 6. Novisque rebus 
infidelis Mlobrox. " And the Allobroges, faithless in their frequent com- 
motions," I e. displaying their faithless character in their numerous ee- 



EXPLANATORY NOTE3. — EPODE XVI. 419 

ditions. The Allobroges were situate in the southern part of Gaul, 
between the Rodanus (Rhone) and Isara (here.) — 6. Ccerulea pube. 
" With its blue-eyed youth." Compare the description given by Taci- 
tus (Germ. 4.) of the Germans : " Habitus corporwn .... idem omnibus ; 
truces el cxrulei oculi, rutilcc comes, magna corpora.'''' The allusion in the 
text seems to be principally to the inroad of the Cimbri and Teutones. 
— 9. Devoti sanguinis. " Of devoted blood," i. e. whose blood is de- 
voted to destruction as a punishment for our father's crimes. — 10. Bar- 
bams. Alluding to the barbarian nations which formed part of the 
forces of Antony. — Et urbem eques, &c. "And the horsemen strike our 
city with sounding hoof," i. e. ride insulting over the ruins of fallen 
Rome. — 13. Qumque carent ventis, &c. "And insolently scatter the 
bones of Romulus, which lie concealed from winds and suns, (unlawful 
to be beheld!") The sanctity of sepulchres was always guarded by the 
strictest laws, and their sacred character was founded on the circum- 
stance of their being dedicated to the Manes. The tombs of the foun- 
ders of cities were regarded as particularly entitled to veneration, and it 
was deemed a most inauspicious omen, if the remains contained in them 
were, by accident, or in any other way, exposed to view. 

15 — 37. 15. Forte quid expediat, &c. " Perhaps, ye all in common, 
or else the better portion, are enquiring of yourselves, what is best to be 
done, in order to avert these dreadful calamities." By the expression 
melior pars are meant those who hold civil conflicts in abhorrence, and 
who feel for the miseries of their country. — 17. Phocceorum velut profugit, 
&c. " As the people of Phocaea fled, bound by solemn imprecations : 
as they abandoned," &c. The Phocaeans, a people of Ionia, rather than 
submit to the power of Cyrus, abandoned their city, binding themselves 
by an oath, and by solemn imprecations, not to return before a mass of 
burning iron, which they threw into the sea, should rise to the surface. 
— 25. Sedjuremtis in hecc. Understand verba, and compare Epode 15. 4. 
The oath of the Phocseans is here imitated, excepting that stones are 
substituted for iron. — Simul imis saxa renarint, &c. " That we shall be 
permitted to return, whenever these stones shall rise from the bottom of 
the sea, and swim back to the surface of the water." — 27. Domum. 
"To our country." — Quando Padus Matina laverit cacumina. "When 
the Po shall wash the Matinian summits," i. e. When the Po, in the 
north, shall wash the summits of Mount Matinus in Calabria, near the 
south-eastern extremity of Italy. Near this mountain was the town of 
Matinum. — 29. Proruperit. " Shall burst forth." — 30. Monstra junxerit. 
"Shall form unnatural unions." — 31. Ut. "So that." — 33. Credula. 
"Persuaded of their safety." — 34. Lcsvis. " Become smooth," i. e. be- 
come smooth as a fish, from having been rough and shaggy. — 35. Hac 
execrata. " Having sworn to the performance of these things, under 
solemn imprecations." — 37. Aut pars indocili melior grege. " Or that 
portion which is wiser than the indocile crowd." — Mollis et exspes ino- 
minata, &c. "Let the faint-hearted and desponding press these ill- 
omened couches," i. e. continue to dwell in this city of gloomy auspices. 
The epithet mollis applies to those who want spirit and manly daring to 
brave the dangers of the sea, while by exspes those are designated who 
have, with timid minds, given up all hopes for the salvation of then- 
country. 

39 — 58. 39. Muliebrem tollite luctum. The poet adjures those whom 
he supposes to be about to abandon their country along with him, to 
leave it as men, and to shed no tears, and indulge in no womanish grief, 



420 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE XVI. 

on the eve of their departure. — 40. Etrusca prater ct volate litora. Their 
course is first to lie through the mare Tyrrhenian, after leaving which 
they are to make for the main ocean. — 41. Nos mauet Oceania circum- 
vugus. "The circumambient Ocean awaits us." The epithet cir- 
cumvagus is here equivalent to the Homeric <5>|'<5/5£oo$. — Jlrva, beata pcta- 
mui arva, &c. "Let us seek the fields, the blessed fields, and the rich 
isles," &.c The poet advises his countrymen to seek the Fortunate isles 
of the ocean. These are generally supposed to have been identical with 
the modern Canaries. It is more than probable, however, that they were 
merely a part of the group. — 43. Reddit ubi Cererem, &c. "Where the 
earth, though untouched by the plough, yields its annual produce, and 
the vines, though unpruned, ever flourish." — 46. Suamque pitlla, &c. 
" And the dark lig graces its own tree," i. e. the natural or ungrafted 
tree. The epithet pulla alludes to the colour of the fig when ripe. — 48. 
Cr.pantc pede. " With rustling footstep," i. e. with a pleasing murmur. 
— 50. .Amicus. A pleasing reference to the kind and friendly feelings 
wiih which, to the eye of the poet, the flock is supposed to bestow its 
gifts upon the master. — 53. Nulla nocenl pecori contagia. Alluding to 
the salubrity of the atmosphere. — Nullius astri ccstuosa impotentia. " The 
scorching violence of no star." Consult note on Ode 3. 13. 19. and 1. 
17. 17. — 55. Ut neque largis, Sec. "flow neither rainy Eurus wastes 
the fields with excessive showers," &c. Compare the description of the 
Homeric Elysium in the western isles, (Od. 4. 566. seqq.) — 58. Utrum- 
que tempe.rante. "Controlling each extreme," i.e. of rainy cold and 
scorching heat. 

59 — 65. 59. Non hue Argoo, &c. "The pine sped not hither its way 
with an Argoan band of rowers," i. e. the Argoan pine (the ship Argo) 
iit'M-i -visited these happy regions to introduce the corruptions of other 
lands. The allusion is to the contagion of those national vices which 
commerce is so instrumental in disseminating — 60. lmpudica Colchis. 
Alluding to Medea, and her want of female modesty in abandoning her 
home. — 61. Cornua, "Their sail-yards." Literally, " the extremities 
oftheir sail-yards," antennarum being understood. — 62. Laboriosa cohors 
Ulixei. "The followers of Ulysses, exercised in hardships," i. e. Ulys- 
ses and his followers schooled in toil. — 63. Jupiter ilia piae, &c. " Jupi- 
ter set apart these shores for a pious race, when he stained the golden 
age with brass ; when, after this, he hardened with iron the brazen age," 
i. e. when the brazen and the iron had succeeded to the golden age. The 
verb secrevit, as used in the text, well expresses the remote situation of 
these blissful regions, far from the crimes and horrors of civil dissension. 
— 65. Quorum piis secunda,&c. "From which age of iron, an auspi- 
cious escape is granted to the pious, according to the oracle which I pro- 
nounce." — With quorum understand saeculorum. — The language of the 
poet is here based upon the custom, followed in the most ancient times, 
of leading forth colonies underthe guidance of some diviner or prophet, 
after the oracle had been duly consulted and its will ascertained. 



Epode 17. A pretended recantation of the 5th Epode, to which suc- 
ceeds the answer of Canidia, now rendered haughty and insolent by 
suecess. The submission of the bard, however, and the menaces of the 
sorceress, are only irony and satire, so much more severe and violent as 
they are more disguised. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPODE XVII. 421 

1 — 7. 1. Efficaci do manus sciential. "I yield submissive to thy 
mighty art," i ,e. I acknowledge and submit to thy power, mighty sor- 
ceress. The expression do manus is figurative, and is used commonly to 
denote the submission of the vanquished to the victors on the field of 
battle. — 2. Regno, per Proserpinae, &c. " By the realms of Proserpina, 
and by the power of Hecate, not to be provoked with impunity, and by 
thy books of enchantments," &c. The poet here adjures Canidia by the 
things which she most revered, and with which, as a sorceress, she was 
supposed to be most conversant. — 5. Dejixa. " Bound by thy incanta- 
tions to obey." The verb defigo is peculiar in this sense to magic rites. 
Hence it frequently answers to our verb, "to bewitch." — 7. Citumque re- 
tro solve, &.c. "And turn backward, turn, thy swift-revolving wheel." 
The turbo, equivalent to the Greek j>6ix6og, was a species of wheel, much 
used in magic rites. A thread or yarn was attached to it, which began 
to wind around, on the wheel's being made to revolve, and, as this pro- 
cess was going on, the individual, who was the subjectof the ceremony, 
was supposed to come more and more under the power of the sorceress. 
Horace, therefore, entreats Canidia to turn her magic wheel backward, 
and untwine the fatal thread, that he may be freed from the spell in which 
she had bound him. 

8 — 23. 8. Movit. Understand ad misericordiam. The poet heightens 
the ridicule of the piece, by citing Achilles and Circe, as examples of imi- 
tation for the worthless Canidia — Nepotem Nereium. Achilles. — Telephus. 
A king of Mysia, who led an army against the Greeks when they had 
landed on his coasts, and was wounded, and afterwards cured, by Achilles. 
— 11. Unxere matres Ilia, &c. " The Trojan matrons anointed the corpse 
of Hector, slaughterer of heroes, originally doomed to voracious birds and 
dogs," &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is, that the Trojan matrons 
were enabled to perform the last sad offices to the corpse of Hector, in 
consequence of the relenting of Achilles at the supplications of Priam. — 
14. Pervicacis Jlchillei. "Of Achilles, however inflexible." Compare 
Ode 1. 6. 6. — 15. Setosa duris,&cc. " Divested their bristly limbs of the 
hard skins of swine," i. e. ceased to be swine. An allusion to the fable 
of Circe, and the transformation of the followers of Ulysses into swine, as 
well as to their subsequent restoration by the sorceress, on the interference 
of the chieftain of Ithaca. — 17. Tunc mens et so?ius, &c. " Then reason 
and speech glided back, and their former expression was gradually re- 
stored to their looks." The term relapsus (the zeugma in which must 
be noted,) beautifully describes as it were to the eye the slow and gradual 
nature of the change. — 19. Dedi satis superque, &c. "Enough and more 
than enough have I been tormented by thee." — 22. Reliquit ossa pelle 
amicta lurida. "Has left behind only bones covered over with a livid skin," 
i. e. has left me a mere skeleton. — 23. Tuis capillus albus, ike. " My hair 
is become white by the force of thy magic herbs." The poet ascribes this 
to the effect produced on his mind and feelings by the incantations of the 
sorceress, and not, as Gesner supposes, to any unguent actually applied 
by her to his locks. 

25 — 41. 25. Est. "Is it allowed me." An imitation of the Greek 
usage, by which tori, est, is put for efeort, licet. — 26. Levare tenia, &c. 
" To relieve by respiration my distended lungs." — 27. Negatum. " What 
I once denied." Understand a me. — 23. Sabella pectus increpare carmina, 
&c. " That Sabellian incantations disturb the breast, and that the head 
splits asunder by a Marsian song." The poet here very pleasantly applies 
to human beings what was thought, in the popular belief, to happen mere- 



422 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPODE XVII. 

ly to snakes. The Sabellians and Marsi were famed for their skill in 
magic. By the former are here meant the Sabines generally. Consult 
note on Ode, 3. 6. 38. — 33. Tu, donee einis, kc. " A living laboratory, 
thou glowest against me with tbe magic drugs of Colchis, until I, become 
a dry cinder, shall be borne along by the insulting winds." — 36. Quod 
slipiidium. " What atonement." — 39. Centum jurencis. "With a heca- 
tomb of bullocks." — Mendaci lyra. " On the lying lyre," i. e. on the lyro 
which will celebrate thee, a shameless woman, as the ornament of thy 
sex. — 41. PerambiUabis astra sidus aureum. " Thou shalt proudly move, 
a brilliant constellation, amid the stars," i. e. my verses will raise thee to 
the stars of heaven. The verb perambulo carries with it the idea of a proud 
and boastful demeanour. 

42 — 50. 42. In/amis Helena: Castor, &c. " Castor, offended at the 
treatment of the defamed Helen," &.c. An allusion to the story related 
of the poet Stesichorus. Having defamed Helen in. some injurious 
verses, he was punished with blindness by her brothers, Castor and Pol- 
lux. On the bard's publishing a recantation, they restored him to sight. 
—45. Poles nam. Equivalent to the Greek Svvaaai yap, and a usual form 
of expression in prayers and addresses to the gods.-— 46. necpaternis, 
&c. " O thou that art disgraced by no paternal stains." Tnere is a 
great deal of bitter satire in this negative mode of alluding to the pre- 
tended fairness of Canidia's birth.— 47. Ncc in sepulcris pauperum, &c. 
" And art not skilled, as a sorceress, in scattering the ninth-day ashes 
amid the tombs of the poor," i. e. and knowest not what it is to go as a 
sorceress amid the tombs of the poor, and scatter their ashes on the ninth 
day after interment The ashes of the dead were frequently used in 
magic rites, and the rules of the art required, that they must be taken 
from the tomb on the ninth day after interment, (not, as some without 
any authority pretend, on the ninth day after death.) The sepulchres 
of the rich were protected against this profanation by watches, (Compare 
Dorvxlle, ad Chant, p. 429. ed. Lips), and the sorceresses were therefore 
compelled to have recourse to the tombs of the poor. — 49. Ilospitale pectus. 
" A compassionate bosom." — Pura. " Unstained with guilt," i. e. thou 
stealest no boys whom thou mayest kill with lingering hunger. Com- 
pare Epode 5. — 50. Tuusque venter Pactumeius. Understand eral. 
" And Pactumeius, too, was actually given by thee to the world," i. e. 
and Pactumeius, whom men suspect thee to have stolen from another 
parent, is indeed the fruit of thine own womb. 

54 — 62. 54. Non saxa nudis, &c. "The wintry main lashes not, 
with swelling surge, rocks more deaf to the cry of the naked mariners 
than I am to thine." — 56. Inultus ut tu riseris, &c. " For thee to di- 
vulge and ridicule with impunity the mysteries of Cotytto, the rites of un- 
bridled love ?" If deemed necessary, an ellipsis of egone patiar may be 
here supplied. Cotytto was the goddess of impure and unrestrained 
indulgence. Canidia calls her own magic rites by the name of Colyttia, 
because their object was to bring back Varus to her. Compare Epode 
5. — 58. EsquUini pontifex venefici, &c. " And, as if thou wert High 
Priest of the magic rites on the Esquiline hill, to fill the city with my 
name unpunished," i. e. as if thou wert called to preside over the incan- 
tations and secret rites which we perform on the Esquiline hill amid the 
graves of the poor. Compare note on verse 47th of this Epode, and on 
Ode 3. 29. 10. — 60. Quid proderat ditasse, &c. " Of what advantage was 
it to me, to have enriched Pelignian sorceresses, or to have mixed a 
speedier portion ?" i. e. what have I gained, by having paid Pelignian 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SiECULAR HYMN. 423 

sorceresses an extravagant sum for instructions in the magic art, or by 
having learnt to mix a more potent draught of love ? — The Peligniwere 
situated to the east of the Marsi, and like them, were famed for their 
magic skill. Consult note on Ode 3. 19.8. — 62. Sed tardiora fata, &c. 
"But a more lingering destiny than what thy prayers shall demand 
awaits thee. A painful existence is to be prolonged to thee, a miserable 
being, with this sole view, that thou mayest continually survive for fresh 
inflictions of torture." The idea intended to be conveyed is as follows : 
Thy entreaties for a cessation from suffering are fruitless. I will increase 
and prolong those sufferings to such a degree, that thou shalt pray to be 
released from them by a speedy death. That prayer, however, shall 
not be heard, and thou shalt live on only to be exposed every moment to 
fresh inflictions of torture. 

65 — 81. 65. Optat quietem, &c. Examples of never-ending punish- 
ment are here cited in Tantalus, Prometheus, and Sisyphus. — 66. Egens 
benigna, &c. On the punishment of Tantalus, consult note on Ode 2. 
13. 37. — 69. Sedvetant leges Jovis. The epic dignity of these words adds 
to the ridicule of the whole piece. — 71. Ense Norico. Consult note on 
Ode 1.16. 9. — 73. Fastidiosa tristis cegrimonia. " Afflicted with a sorrow 
that loathes existence." — 74. Vectabor kumeris, &c. " Then, as a rider, 
shall I be borne on thy hostile shoulders," i. e. then will I cruelly triumph 
over thee, my bitterest foe. The expression vectabor eques humeris, is in- 
tended as a figurative allusion to the pride and insolence of a conqueror. 
So equitare, KaBix-rreieiv Kadnrird^caQat, &c. — 75. Meaque terra cedet inso- 
lentia. "And the earth shall retire from before my haughty might," i. e. 
in the haughtiness of my power I will spurn the earth, and make thee 
bear me on thy shoulders through the regions of air. — 76. Qwte movere 
cereas imagines possim. "Who can give animation to waxen images." 
The witches of antiquity were accustomed to make small waxen images 
of the persons whom they intended to influence by their spells, and it 
was a prevailing article of popular belief, that, as the incantations pro- 
ceeded, these images gave signs of animation, and that the sorceresses 
could perceive in their looks and manner the gradual effect of the magic 
charms that were acting on the originals. — 77. Curiosus. The allusion 
seems to be to some occasion when the " prying" poet discovered Cani- 
dia in the midst of her sorceries. — SO. Desiderique temperare poculum. 
" And mix a draught of love." — 81. Artis exitum. " The effect of my art." 



Sjecuxar Hymn. In the year of Rome 737, and when Augustus had 
consolidated the energies and restored the tranquillity of the Roman 
world, the period arrived for the celebration of the Scecular Games. 
Among the directions given in the Sibylline books, for the due perform- 
ance of these solemnities, a hymn, in praise of Apollo and Diana, to 
whom they were principally sacred, was ordered to be sung by a chorus 
of youths and maidens. The composition of this hymn, on the present 
occasion, was assigned by the emperor to Horace, and the production, 
which we are about to consider, was the result of his labours, forming a 
proud monument of talent, and one of the noblest pieces of Lyric poetry 
that has descended to our times. Apollo and Diana are invoked to per- 
petuate their favouring influence toward the Roman name. Thrice the 
chorus address them", and thrice the Roman Empire is confided to their 
care. 

39 



«* EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SECULAR HTMN. 

The Srteulum among the Romans, was properly a period of 110 years, 
and the Saecular games should have been always celebrated after such an 
interval. The following table, however, of the periods when they were 
solemnised, will show that this rule was not much regarded. 

The first were held A. U. C. 245, or 298. 

The second, A. U. C. 330, or 403. 

The third, A. U. C. 518. 

The fourth, either A. U. C. C05, or 608, or 628. 

The filth, bv Augustus, A. U. C. 736. 

The sixth, by Claudius, A. U. C. 800. 

The seventh, by Domitian, A. U. C. 841. 

The eighth, bv Severus, A. U. C. 957. 

The ninth, by Philip, A. U. C. 1000. 

The tenth, by Honorius, A. U. C. 1157. 

2 — 20. 2. Lucidum ccdi dccvs. "Bright ornament of heaven."— 4. 
Tempore sacro. " At this sacred season." — 5. SibyUini versus. The Si- 
bylline verses, which have reference to the Saecular Gaines, are pre- 
served in Zosimus, (2. 6. p. 103. seqq. ed. Reitemcier.) They are also 
given in a more emended form by Mitscherlich. — 6. Virgines lectas pue- 
rosque castos. The Sibylline verses directed, that the youths and maid- 
ens, which composed the chorus, should be the offspring of parents that 
were both alive at the time, i. e. should be patrimi and matrimi. — 7. Sep- 
tan colles. An allusion to Rome, and the seven hills on which it was 
built. — 9. Curru nitido diem qui, Sac. "Who with thy radiant chariot 
unfoldest and hidest the day, and arisest another and the same." The 
sun is here saul to hide the day at its setting, and to arise on the mor- 
row a new luminary with the new day, but in all its former splendour. 
— 11. Possis visere. "Mayest thou behold." — 13. Rite maturos aperire 
partus, &.c. "Uithyia, propitious in safely producing mature births, 
protect the Roman mothers." — 16. Genitalis. Compare the explanation 
of Doring: " Qua gignentes sen puerperas ope sua levat, genilura • favet, el 
se propiliam prabet." 1 — 17. Producas subo'em. "Increase our offspring." 
— Patrum. " Of the senate." — 20. Legemarita. Alluding to the Julian 
law, " De maritandis ordinibus," holding out inducements for entering 
the married state, and imposing penalties on celibacy. The end of it 
was to promote population, and repair the loss occasioned by the car- 
nage of the civil wars. 

21 — 37. 21. Certus undenos, &c. "That the stated revolution of ten 
times eleven years may renew the hymns and sports, celebrated by 
crowds thrice in the bright season of day, and as often in the pleasing 
night." The Scecular solemnities lasted three days and three nights. 
— 25. Vosque veraces cecinisse, &c. " And do you, ye Fates, true in ut- 
tering what has been once determined, and what the fixed event of things 
confirms, join favourable destinies to those already past." The expres- 
sion veraces cecinisse is a Graecism for veraces in canendo. Dictum is 
equivalent to constilutum a fato. — 29. Tellus. The Earth is here addres- 
sed as one of the deities, to which sacrifices were ordered to be made, by 
the Sibylline verses. — 30. Spicea donet Cererem corona. "Gift Ceres 
with a crown, made of the ears of corn." This was the usual offering to 
Ceres. — 16, Jfutriant fetus et aquae salubres, &c. " And may refreshing 
rams, and salubrious breezes from Jove, nourish the productions of the 
fields." — 33. Condito telo " With thine arrow hidden in the quiver." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES- S^ECtTLAR HTMN. 425 

Apollo, with bow unbent, is mild and gentle ; but when, in anger, ho 
draws the arrow from its case, and bends his bow, he becomes the god 
of pestilence. (Ode 2. 10. 20.) He is here addressed in the former of 
these characters.— 34. Jludi pueros. From these words, and from audi 
puellas, toward the close of the stanza, it would appear thai the youths 
and maidens sang in alternate chorus the respective praises of Apollo 
and Diana. — 35. "Regina bicornis. " Crescent queen." Alluding to her 
appearance during- the first days of the new moon. — 37. Roma si vestrum 
est opus. The allusion is to the Trojans' having abandoned their native 
seats, and having been led to Italy by an oracle received from Apollo. 
Diana is here joined with Apollo, and the founding of Rome is ascribed 
by the bard to their united auspices. — Eiaeque turmae. The reference is 
to "the Trojan bands" of Aeneas. 

41 — 59. 41. Sine fraude. "Without harm." Compare the words 
of Ulpian, (leg. 131. de V. S.) " Miud fraus est, aliud poena. Fraus 
enim sine poena esse potest : poena sine fraude esse non potest. Poena est 
noxae vindicta; fraus et ipsa noxadicitur, el quasi poena, quaedam praepara- 
tio. — 44. Plura relictis. " More ample possessions than those left be- 
hind," i. e. a more extensive empire than their native one. — 45. DL 
Addressed to Apollo and Diana jointly. — 47. Romulae genti date remque, 
&c. " Grant to the people of Romulus prosperity, and a numerous off- 
spring, and every honour." By decus omne is meant every thing that cam 
increase the glory and majesty of the empire. — 49. Q,uique vos bubus, &c. 
The allusion is now to Augustus as the representative of the R.oman 
name. As regards the expression bubus albis, it is to be observed, that 
the Sibylline verses prescribed the colour of the victims, QdXevicoi ravpoi). 
— 53. Jam mari terraque. In this and the succeeding stanza the poet 
dwells upon the glories of the reign of Augustus, the power and prosperi- 
ty of Rome. — Manns potentes. " Our powerful forces." — 54. Medus. 
Consult note on Ode 4. 14. 41. — Albanas secures. " The Alban axes," 
i. e. the Roman power. An allusion to the securis and fasces, as the 
badges of civil and military authority. JUbanas is here equivalent to Ro- 
manas, in accordance with the received belief that Rome was a colony 
from Alba Longa. — 57. Jam Fides, et Pax, &c. According to the bard, 
the golden age has now returned, and has brought back with it the dei- 
ties, who had fled to their native skies, during the iron age, from the 
crimes and miseries of earth. Compare Hesiod, epy. ical fa. 197. seqq. — 
Pax. An allusion to the closing of the temple of Janus. Consult note 
on Ode 4. 15. 8. — Pudorque priscus. " And the purity of earlier days." 
— 59. Beata plena, &c. Compare Epist. 1.12.28. Aureafruges Italiae 
pleno defudit copia cornu." 

61—73. 61. Augur, et fulgente, &c. "May Apollo, god of pro- 
phecy, and adorned with the glittering bow," &c. — 63. Qui salutari levat 
arte, &c. An allusion to Apollo, as the god of medicine. Compare the 
appellations bestowed upon him by the Greek poets, in reference to 
this; adtnos, tjmo;, owriip, &c. In this stanza, it will be perceived that 
the four attributes of Apollo are distinctly expressed : his skill in ora- 
cular divination, in the use of the bow, in music, and in the healing art. 
— 65. Si Palatinas videt aequus arces. " If he looks with a favouring 
eye on the Palatine summits," i. e. if he lends a favouring ear to the so- 
lemn strains, which we are now pouring forth in his temple on the Pa- 
latine hill. — 67. Alterum in lustrum, &c. "For another lustrum, and 
an always happier age." — 69. Aventimtm. Diana had a temple on the 
Aveutine hill. — Algidum. Consult note on Ode 1. 21. 6. — 70. Quinde- 



426 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — ON ROMAN SATIRE. 

cim preces virorum. The Quindecemviri, to whose custody the Sibylline 
books were confided, always began their consultation of these oracles 
with prayers. To them also was entrusted the general superintendence 
of lie Ocular solemnities. — 73. llav Jovem sentire, &c The order of 
construction is as follows: Ego chorus, doctus dicere lautles el Phabi ct 
Diana, reporto domum bonam certamque spem, Jovem cunctosque deos sentire 
lute. This proceeds from the united chorus of youths and maidens, 
who, being represented by their coryphsus, or leader, appear as a sin- 
gle individual. In our own idiom, however, the plural must be sub- 
stituted : "We, the chorus," &c, — Hue sentire. "Ratify these our 
prayers." Sentire is here used in the sense ol' sancire. 



SATIRES. 



ON ROMAN SATIRE. 

The scholars of earlier days were accustomed to dispute, with no little 
degree of ardour, on the origin of Roman Satire, as well as on the 
meaning of the term by which this species of composition is wont to be 
designated. The Abbe Gamier defines a Satire to be, a poem without 
any regular action, of a certain length, either indulging in invective, or 
of an ironical character, and directed against the vices and the failings of 
men with a view to their correction. Was Satire, regarded in this light, an 
invention of the Romans, or did they, in this branch of literature, as in 
almost every other, merely follow in the path of some Grecian original ? 
Julius Scaligcr, Daniel Hcinsius, and Spanheim, have maintained the 
latter opinion, in opposition to Horace and GLuintillian, whose authority 
lias been supported and defended by Casaubon. This whole contro- 
versy, however, proved eventually, like so many others of a similar na- 
ture, only a dispute about words, and it ceased the moment the subject 
was clearly understood. Dacier, Koenig, and other writers are entitled, 
after Casaubon, to the merit of having cleared up the question to such 
a degree, as to render any farther discussion unnecessary. 

We must above all things guard against confounding together two 
terms which have an accidental resemblance in form, but quite different 
etymologies, the Greek Satyre and the Roman Satire. The former was 
a species of jocose drama, in which Satyrs were made to play the prin- 
cipal part, and hence the appellation which it received. We have but 
one piece of this kind remaining, the Cyclops of Euripides. On the 
oilier hand, the Roman Satire, the invention of which is ascribed by the 
ancient writers to Ennius, differed from the Satyre of the Greeks, in 
that, being without a plot, and embracing no regular and continued 
action, it was intended for the closet, not for the stage. This Satire was 
neither a drama, an epic poem, nor a lyric effusion. Neither was it a 
didactic piece, in the strict sense of the word, according to which, a di- 
dactic poem is taken to signify a production in verse, which developes, 
not a single truth, but a system of truths, or rather a doctrine, and not 
in a transitory manner or by way of digression, but with method and 
formal reasoning. The ancients regarded each species of verse as be- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — ON ROMAN SATIRE. 427 

tonging peculiarly to one particular kind of poetry. Thus the Hex- 
ameter was reserved for epic and didactic poems ; the Hexameter and 
Pentameter, alternately succeeding each other, were employed in elegiac 
effusions ; the Iambic was used in dramatic compositions, while the 
different lyric measures were devoted to the species of poetry which 
bore that name. Now, the Satire of Ennius deviated from this rule, in 
excluding none of these several metres. All rhythms suited it equally 
well, and the old poet employed them all in their turn. It is from this 
medley of verses, thus employed, that the name of Satires (Satirce) was 
given to these productions of Ennius. Among the Romans, a platter 
or basin, filled with all sorts of fruits, was offered up every year to Ceres 
and Bacchus as the first fruits of the season. This was termed Satura 
or Satira, the word lanx being understood. In like manner, a law con- 
taining several distinct particulars or clauses, was denominated Lex Sa- 
tura. Prom these examples, the peculiar meaning of the term Satirce, 
in the case of Ennius, will be clearly perceived. 

After Ennius came Pacuvius, who took the former for his model. So 
few fragments, however, remain of his writings, as to render it impossible 
for us to form any definite opinion of his Satirical productions. Lucilius 
succeeded, and effected an important change in this species of composi- 
tion, by giving the preference, and in some instances exclusively so, to the 
Hexameter verse. From the greater air of regularity which this alteration 
produced, as well as from the more didactic form of his pieces, in their 
aiming less at comic effect than those of Ennius, and more at the improve- 
ment of others by the correction of vice, Lucilius, and not Ennius, was re- 
garded by many of the ancients as the father of Satire. After his time, 
the Hexameter versification came to be regarded as the proper garb for 
this species of poetry, and the word Satire passed from its primitive signi- 
fication to the meaning given it at the commencement of these remarks, 
and which has been also retained in our own days. 

The finishing hand to Roman Satire was put by Horace. Thus far he 
has been viewed as the great master of Roman Lyric Poetry, whether 
amatory, convivial, or moral. We have still to consider him as a Satiric, 
humorous, or familiar writer, in which character (though he chiefly valued 
himself on his odes,) he is more instructive, and perhaps equally pleasing. 
He is also more of an original poet in his Satires than in his Lyric compo- 
sitions. Daniel Heinsius, indeed, in his confused and prolix dissertation, 
" De Satira Horatiana," has pointed out several passages, which he thinks 
have been suggested by the comedies and satiric dramas of the Greeks. 
If, however, we except the dramatic form which he has given to so many 
of his Satires, it will be difficult to find any general resemblance between 
them and those productions of the Greek stage which are at present ex- 
tant. Satire had remained, in a great measure, uncultivated at Rome, 
since the time of Lucilius, who imitated the writers of the Greek comedy, 
in so far as he unsparingly satarized the political leaders of the state. But 
Horace did not live, like the Greek comedians, in an unrestrained demo- 
cracy, nor, like Lucilius, under an aristocracy, in which there was a strug- 
gle for power, and court was in consequence occasionally paid to the 
people. 

Satire, more than any other kind of poetry, is influenced by the spirit 
and manners of the age in which it appears. These are, in fact, the ali- 
ment on which it feeds ; and, accordingly, in tracing the progress which 
Iiad been made in this species of composition, from the time of Lucilius 



423 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — ON ROMAN SATIRE. 

till the appearance of that more refined satire which Horace introduced, it 
is important to consider the chances that had taken place during this 
interval, holh in the manners of the people and the government oi' the 
country. 

The accumulation of wealth naturally tends to the corruption of a land. 
But a people, who. like the Romans, suddenly acquire it by war, confisca- 
tions, and pillage, degenerate more quickly than the nations among whom 
it is collected by the slower processes of art, commerce, and industry. At 
Rome, a corruption of morals, occasioned chiefly by an influx of wealth, 
had commenced in the age of Lucilius; but virtue had still farther declined 
in that of Horace. Lucilius arrayed himself on the side of those who af- 
fected the austerity of ancient manners, and who tried to stem the torrent 
of vice, which Greece and the Oriental nations even thru began to pour 
into the heart of the republic. By the time of Horace, the bulwark had 
been broken down, and those who reared it swept away. Civil war had 
burst asunder the bonds of society; property had become insecure; and 
the effect of this general dissolution remained even after the government 
was steadily administered by a wise and all-powerful despot. Rome had 
become not only the seat of universal government and wealth, but also 
the centre of attraction to the whole family of adventurers, the magnet 
which was perpetually drawing within its circle the collected worthless- 
ness of the world. Expense, and luxury, and love of magnificence had 
succeeded to the austerity and moderation of the ancient republic. The 
example, too, of the chief minister, inclined the Romans to indulge in that 
voluptuous life, which so well accorded with the imperial plans for the 
stability and security of the government. A greater change of manners 
was produced by the loss of liberty, than even by the increase of wealth. 
The voice of genuine freedom had been last heard in the last Philippic of 
Cicero. Some of the distinguished Romans, who had known and prized 
the republican forms of government, had fallen in the field of civil conten- 
tion, or been sacrificed during the proscriptions. Of those who survived, 
many were conciliated by benefits and royal favour, while others, in the 
enjoyment of the calm that followed the storms by which the state had 
been lately agitated, acquiesced in the imperial sway as now affording the 
only security for property and life. Courtly compliance, in consequence, 
took place of that boldness and independence which characterized a Ro- 
man citizen in the age of Lucilius. The Senators had now political supe- 
riors to address, and the demeanour which they had employed towards 
the emperor and his advisers, became habitual to them in their intercourse 
with their equals. Hence, there prevailed a politeness of behaviour and 
conversation, which differed both from the roughness of Cato the censor, 
and from the open-hearted urbanity of Scipio or Laslius. Satires, direct- 
ed, like those of Lucilius, and the comic writers of Greece, against politi- 
cal characters in the state, were precluded by the unity and despotism ot 
power. If Lucilius arraigned in his verses Mutius and Lupus, he was 
supported by Scipio and Laelius, or some other heads of a faction. But 
in the time of Horace there were no political leaders except those tolerated 
by the emperor, and who would have protected a satirist in the Augustan 
age from the resentment of Mascenas or Agrippa ? 

The rise and influence of men like Maecenas, in whom power and 
wealth were united with elegant taste and love of splendour, introduced 
what in modern times has been called fashion. They of course were 
frequently imitated in their villas and entertainments, by those who had 
no pretensions to emulate such superiors, or who vied with them un- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — ON ROMAN SATIRE. 429 

gracefully. The wealthy freedman and provincial magistrate rendered 
themselves ridiculous by this species of rivalry, and supplied endless 
topics of sportive satire ; foi it would appear that Maecenas, and those 
within the pale of fashion, had not made that progress in true politeness, 
which induces either to shun the society of such pretenders, or to endure 
it without contributing to their exposure. Hence the pictures of the 
self-importance and ridiculous dress of Aufidius Luscus, and the en- 
tertainment of Nasidienus to which Maecenas carried his buffoons alone 
with him, to contribute to the sport which the absurdities of their host 
supplied. 

In the time of Augustus, the practice, which in modern times has been 
termed legacy-hunting, became literally a profession and employment 
Those who followed it did not, like the parasites of old, content them, 
selves with the offals from the board of a patron. Assiduous flattery, 
paid to a wealthy and childless bachelor, was considered at Rome as 
the surest and readiest mode of enrichment, after the confiscations of 
property were at an end, and the plundering of provinces was prohibited. 
The desire of amassing wealth continued, though the methods by which 
it was formerly gained were interdicted, and the Romans had not ac- 
quired those habits which might have procured it more honourable gra- 
tification. 

About the same period, philosophy, which never had made much 
progress at Rome, was corrupted and perverted by vain pretenders. 
The unbending principles of the Stoics in particular, had been carried to 
so extravagant a length, and were so little in accordance with the feel- 
ing of the day, or manners of a somewhat voluptuous court, that what- 
ever ridicule was cast upon them could scarcely fail to be generally ac- 
ceptable and amusing. 

In the age of Augustus the Romans had become a nation of poets, 
and many who had no real pretensions to the character, sought to occu- 
py, in rhyming, that time which, in the days of the republic, would havo 
been employed in more worthy exertions. The practice, too, of recita- 
tions to friends, or in public assemblies, was introduced about the same 
period ; and it was sometimes no easy, matter to escape from the vanity 
and importunity of those, who were predetermined to delight their neigh- 
bours with the splendour and harmony of their verses. In short, foppery 
and absurdity of every species prevailed ; but the Augustan age was 
one rather of folly than of atrocious crime. Augustus had done much 
for the restoration of good order and the due observance of the laws ; 
and, though the vices of luxury had increased, the salutary effects of his 
administration checked those more violent offences that so readily burst 
forth amid the storms of an agitated republic. Nor did the court of Au- 
gustus present that frightful scene of impurity and cruelty, which, in the 
reign of Domitian, raised the scorn, and called forth the satiric indigna- 
tion, of Juvenal. In the time of Horace, Rome was rather a theatre, 
where inconsistency and folly performed the chief parts, and where 
nothing better remained for the wise than to laugh at the comedy which 
was enacted. 

That Horace was not an indifferent spectator of this degradation of 
his country, appears from his glowing panegyrics on the ancient patriots 
of Rome, his retrospects to a better age, and to the simplicity of the 
"prisca gens tnortaLium." But no better weapon was left him than the 



430 EXPLANATORY NOTES. SATIRE I. 

light shafts of ridicule. What could he have gained by pursuing tlio 
guilty, sword in hand, as it were, like Lucilius. or arrogating to himself 
among courtiers and men of the world, the character of an ancient censor? 
The tone which he struck was the only one that suited the period and cir- 
cumstances: it pervades the whole of his satires, and is assumed, what- 
ever may be the folly or defects which he thinks himself called on to 
expose. A wide field in those days was left open for satire, as its pro- 
vince was not restricted or pre-occupied by comedy. At Rome there 
never had been any national drama in which Roman life was exhibited to 
the public. The plays of Terence and his contemporaries represented 
Greek, not Roman manners ; and toward the close of the Republic, and 
commencement of the empire, the place of the regular comedy was 
usurped by mimes or pantomimes. All the materials, then, which in 
other countries have been seized by writers for the stage were exclusively 
at the disposal and command of the satirist. In the age of Louis 14, 
Boileau would scarcely have ventured to draw a full-length portrait of a 
misanthrope or a hypocrite. But Horace encountered no Moliere, on 
whose department he might dread to encroach ; and, accordingly, his 
satires represent almost every diversity of lolly incident to human nature. 
Sometimes, too, he bestows on his satires, at least to a certain extent, a 
dramatic form ; and thus avails himself of the advantages which the 
drama supplies. By introducing various characters discoursing in their 
own style, and expressing their own peculiar sentiments, he obtained a 
wider nin«e than if every thing had seemed to flow from the pen of the 
author. How could he have displayed the follies and foibles of the age 
so well as in the person of a slave, perfectly acquainted with his master's 
private life ? how could he have exhibited the extravagance of a philo- 
sophic sect so justly, as from the mouth of the pretended philosopher, 
newly converted to stoicism ? or how could he have described the banquet 
of Nasidienus with such truth, as from the lips of a guest who had been 
present at the entertainment ? 

Horace had also at his uncontested disposal, all those materials, which, 
in modern times, have contributed to the formation of the novel or ro- 
mance. Nothing resembling that attractive species of composition ap- 
peared at Rome, before the time of Petronius Arbiter, in the reign of 
Nero. Hence, those comic occurrences on the street, at the theatre, or 
entertainments — the humours of taverns — the adventures of a campaign 
or journey, which have supplied a Le Sage and a Fielding with such 
varied exhibitions of human life and manners, were all reserved un- 
touched for the Satiric Muse to combine, exaggerate, and diversify. The 
chief talent of Horace's patrons, Augustus and Mascenas, lay in a true 
discernment of the tempers and abilities of mankind ; and Horace, him- 
self, was distinguished by his quick perception of character, and his equal 
acquaintance with books and men. These qualifications and habits, and 
the advantages derived from them, will be found apparent in almost every 
Satire. (Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. 3, p. 239 seqq. Scholl, HisL 
Lit. Rom. vol. 1. p. 143 seqq.) 



Satire 1. A desire of amassing enormous wealth was one of the 
most prevalent passions of the time ; and, amid the struggles of civil 
•warfare, the lowest of mankind had succeeded in accumulating fortunes. 
It is against this inordinate rage that the present satire is directed. In a 
dialogue, supposed to be held between the poet and a miser, the former 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SATIRE I. 431 

the folly of those who occupy themselves solely in the acquisition 
of "wealth, and replies to all the arguments which the miser adduces in 
favour of hoarding. (Durdop's Roman Literature, vol. 3. p. 247.) 

1 — 22. 1. Qui fit, Maecenas, Si,c. The construction is as follows: Qui 
fit, Mcecenas, ut nemo vivat contentus ilia sorte, quam sortem sen ratio dede- 
rit, seu fors objecerit, ut laudet sequentes diversa. "How happens it, 
Maecenas, that no man lives contented with that lot, which either reflec- 
tion may have given him, or chance have thrown in his way, but rather 
deems their condition enviable, who follow pursuits in life that are diffe- 
rent from his own ?" Ratio here denotes that deliberation and reflection 
which direct our choice in selecting a career for life. — 4. fortunati mer- 
catores. " Ah ! ye happy traders." As regards the peculiar meaning 
of the term mercator, consult note on Ode 1.1. 16. — 7. Militia est potior. 
" A soldier's life is better," i. e. than this which I pursue. — Concurritur. 
" The combatants engage." — 9. Juris legumque peritus. "The lawyer." 
Literally : " he who is versed in the principles of justice and in the laws." 
— 10. Sub galli cantum, &c. "When a client knocks, by cock-crow, at 
his door." — 11. Ilk, datis vadibus, &c. " He, who, having given bail for 
his appearance, has been forced from the country into the city." The 
allusion is to the defendant in a suit. In the Roman courts of law, as in 
our own, the plaintiff required that the defendant should give bail for his 
appearance in court (vades,) on a certain day, which was usually the third 
day after. Hence the plaintiff was said vadari ream, and the defendant 
vades dare, or vadimonium promittere. — 14. Fabium. The individual here 
named appears to have been a loquacious and tiresome personage, but 
whether a philosopher or a lawyer is uncertain. — IS. Quo, rem deducam. 
"To what conclusion I will bring the whole affair." — IS. Mutatis par- 
tibus. " Your conditions in life being changed." — 19. Jfolint. "They 
will be unwilling to accept the offer." The subjunctive is here employed, 
because the sentence depends on Si quis dicat which precedes. — Jitqui 
licet esse beatis. " And yet they have it in their power to be happy." A 
Greecism for licet Us esse beatos. — 20. Meriio quin illis, &c. " Why justly 
offended Jove may not puff out against them both his cheeks." The 
poet draws rather a ludicrous picture of angry Jove, swelling with indig- 
nation. Perhaps, however, it is on this very account more in keeping 
with the context. — 22. Facilem. " Ready." 

23 — 37. 23. Prozterea, ne sic, &c. " But, not to run over a matter ot 
this kind in a laughing way, as they who handle sportive themes." — 25. 
Olim. "Sometimes." — 26. Doctores. "Teachers." The poet institutes 
a comparison, no less amusing than just, between the pedagogue on the 
one hand, and the iEsopean or Socratic instructor on the other. The 
former bribes his little pupils " to learn their letters," by presents of 
" cake," the latter makes instruction palateable to the full-grown children 
whom they address by arraying it in the garb of mirth and pleasantry. 
• — 27. Sed tamen. "However." These particles, as well as the sim- 
ple sed, igitur, autem, &c. are elegantly used to continue a sentence or 
idea which has been interrupted by a parenthesis. — 29. Perfulus hie 
caidor. " This knavish lawyer." As regards the term cautor, compare 
the remark of Valart ; "Cautor vocabulum juris est : cavere enim, unde 
cautor, omnes considti partes significat et implet:'' The common text has 
caupo. — 32. Quum sibi sint congesta cibaria. " When a provision for life 
shall have been collected by them." — 33. Parvidamagni formica laboris. 
" The little ant of great industry." The epithets parvula and magni 
present a very pleasing antithesis.— 35. Haud ignara ac non incauta ju- 



432 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SATIRE I. 

fiat. " Not ignorant nor improvident of the future." — 36. Simul inver- 
sum contristat,&ic. " As soon as Aquarius saddens the ended year." The 
year is here considered as a circle constantly turning round and renew- 
ing its course. Hence the epithet inversus (" inverted," i. e. brought to 
a close) which is applied to it when one revolution is fully ended and 
another is just going to commence. The allusion in the text is to the 
beginning of winter. According to Porphyrion, the sun passed into 
Aquarius on the 17th day before the Calends of February, (16th Janu- 
ary) and storms of rain and severe cold marked the whole period of its 
continuance in that sign of the Zodiac. — 37. El Mis utitur ante, &c. 
" And wisely uses those stores which it has previously collected." The 
ant shows more wisdom than the miser, in using, not hoarding up, its 
gathered stores. 

38 — 56. 38. Nequefe>~ridus ccstus, &c. The allusion is here to things 
violent in themselves, and which every moment threaten injury or de- 
struction. " Neither the scorching heat of summer, nor the winter's 
cold, fire, shipwreck, or the sword." — 40. Dum. "Provided." — 41. Quid 
juvat i mmen sum, &c. "What pleasure does it yield thee to bury by 
stealth, in the earth dug up to receive it, an immense sum of silver and. 
of gold ?" — 43. Quod, si comminuas, &c. The miser is here supposed to 
answer in defence of his conduct. " Because, if once thou beginnest to 
take from it, it may be reduced to a wretched as." Therefore, argues 
the miser, it had better remain untouched in the earth. — 44. Jit, ni id fit, 
&c. The poet here replies to the miser's argument. " But, unless this 
is done (i. e. unless thou breakest in upon thy wealth) what charms does 
the accumulated hoard contain ?" — 45. Millia frumenti tua triverit, &c. 
" Thy threshing floor may have yielded a hundred thousand measures 
of grain, still thy stomach will contain, on that account, no more of it 
than mine." With centummillia supply 1 modiorvm. — 47. Reticulum. "A 
netted bag." Reticulum, called by Varro, Panarium, (L. L. 4. 22.) was 
a species of sack or bag, wrought in the form of a net, in which the 
slaves were wont to carry bread. — Venules. Equivalent to servos. — 50. 
Viventi. A dative after the impersonal refert, as in the present instance, 
is unusual, but cannot therefore be pronounced incorrect, as some main- 
tain it to be, who substitute viventis. — 51. Jit suave est, &c. A new ar- 
gument on the part of the miser. "But it is pleasing to take from a 
large heap. — 52. Dum ex parvo nobis, &.c. We have here the poet's re- 
ply, simple and natural, and impossible to be controverted. " If thou 
permittest us to take just as much from our small heap, why shouldst 
thou extol thy granaries above our humble meal-tubs?" i. e. while our 
wants can be as easily supplied from our scanty stores, what advantage 
have thy granaries over our small meal-tubs?" — 54. Liquidi non amplius 
vma vel cyatho. " No more than a pitcher or cup of water." — 56. Quam 
ex hoc fonticulo. " Than from this little fountain that flows at my feet" — 
Eofit, plenior ut si quos, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this: 
Hence it happens, that if any, despising the humble fountain, prefer to 
draw from the stream of some large and impetuous river like the Aufi- 
dus, being seized by its current they will be swept away and perish amid 
the waters : i. e. those, who, not content with humble means, are con- 
tinually seeking for more extensive possessions, will eventually suffer 
for their foolish and insatiable cupidity. — As regards the Aufidus, Con- 
sult note on Ode 3. 30. 10. 

61 — 79. 61. At bona pars kominum, &c. After having proved by unan- 
swerable arguments, that riches, except we use them, have nothing 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SATIRE II. 433 

valuable, beautiful, or agreeable ; the poet here anticipates an objection, 
which a miser might possibly make, that this love of money is only a de- 
sire of reputation, since we are always esteemed in proportion to our 
wealth. This objection might have some weight, for a love of public es- 
teem has virtue in it. But the miser falsely disguises his avarice under 
the name of a more innocent passion, and wilfully mistakes. (Decepla 
cupidine fcdso.) — 62. Quia tanti, quantum habeas, sis. "Because, thou 
wilt be esteemed in proportion to thy wealth." — 63. Quid facias Mi ? 
" What wilt thou do with such an one as this?" — 64. Quatenus. " Since." 
— 68. Tantalus a labris, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : 
Thou who merely gazest on thy money hoarded up in thy coffers without 
putting it to any use, or deriving any benefit from it, art like Tantalus, 
who, tormented with thirst, catches in vain at the water that escapes 
from his lips. This is supposed to be addressed by the poet, not to the 
miser with whom he has been reasoning, but to the sordid Athenian 
whom he has just been picturing to the view. On hearing the allusion 
to Tantalus, the miser bursts into a laugh, and the poet then turns upon 
him with the question Quid rides ? The miser laughs at the poet's ci- 
ting what the prevalent scepticism of the day regarded as one of a mere 
tissue of fables. — 69. Mutato nomine, &c. " The name changed, the 
story is told of thee." The train of ideas is as follows : Dost thou laugh, 
and ask what Tantalus is to thee ? Change names with Tantalus, and 
thou wilt occupy his place : for, as he saw the water before his eyes and 
yet could not taste it, so thou gazest upon thy money, but derivest no 
benefit from the accumulated hoard. — 71. Indormis inhians. A striking 
picture of the disturbed and restless slumbers of the miser, who, even in 
his sleeping moments, appears engrossed with the thoughts of his dar- 
ling treasure. — Sacris. "Sacred offerings." — 74. Mde quels humana, 
&c. "Add those other comforts, which being withheld from her, hu- 
man nature will experience pain," i. e. those comforts which nature can- 
not want without pain. — 77. Malos fures. " Wicked thieves." The 
poet imitates here the simplicity of the Homeric idiom : Thus we have 

in Homer, Kaxbg Sdvaros, "evil deat^l," Kaicds fiSpos, Kaxij voijaos, &c. — 78. 

JV*e te compilent fugientes. " Lest they rob thee, and abscond." — 79. 
Semper ego optarim, &c. " For my part, I wish to be ever very poor in 
such possessions as these," i. e. I never wish to come to the possession 
of such burdensome and care-producing riches. 

80 — 100. 80. At si condoluit, &c. The miser here rallies, and ad- 
vances a new argument. When sickness comes upon us, our wealth, 
according to him, will secure us good and faithful attendance, and we 
shall speedily be restored to the domestic circle. — Tentatum frigore. 
" Attacked with the chill of fever." — 81. Habes qui assideat. "Thou 
hast one to sit by thy bed-side." — 82. Ut te suscitet. " To raise thee 
from the bed of sickness," or, more freely, " to restore thee to health." 
— 84. JVoii uxor scdvum te vult, &c. The indignant reply of the poet. — 
85. Puen atque puellae. " The very children in the streets." — 86. Post 
omnia ponas. A tmesis for postponas omnia. — S8. Jin sic cognatos, &c. 
" Or, dost thou purpose, by such a course of conduct as tin's, to retain 
those relations whom nature of her own accord gives thee, and to keep 
them thy friends ?" i. e. dost thou fancy to thyself that thy relations will 
continue to love thee, when all thy affections are centered In thy gold ? 
— 90. Infellx. The vocative. — 94. Parto quod avebas. " What thou 
didst desire being now obtained." Understand to. — 95. Qui, tarn, &c 
"Who, {the story is not long), so rich that he measured his money." — 
97. Ad usque supremum tempus. " To the very last moment of his life," 



434 EXPLANATORY NOTE9. — SATIRE II. 

— 100. Fortissimo Tyndaridarum. "Bravest of the children of Tynda- 
rus," i. e. a second Clytemnestra. The poet likens the freedwoman to 
Clytemnestra, who slew her husband Agamemnon, and, in so doing, 
proved herself, as he ironically expresses it, the bravest of the Tyndari- 
dae. This term, Tyndaridae, though of the masculine gender, includes 
the children of Tyndarus of both sexes. 

101 — 106. 101. Quid mi igitur suades, &C " What then dost thou 
advise me to do ? To live like Maenius. or in the way that Nomenta- 
nus does ?" Maenius and Nomentanus appear to have been two dissi- 
pated prodigals of the day, and the miser, in whose eyes any, even the 
most trifling, expenditure seems chargeable with extravagance, imagines, 
with characteristic spirit, that the poet wishes him to turn spendthrift at 
once. — 102. Pergis pugnantia secum, &c. We have here the poet's reply. 
" Art thou going to unite things that are plainly repugnant." Literally ; 
"things that contend together with opposing fronts." A metaphor taken 
From the combats of animals, particularly of rams. — 103. JWm ego, ava- 
rum, &c. "When I bid thee cease to be a miser, I do not order thee to 
become a spendthrift and a prodigal." Vappa properly denotes palled 
or insipid wine : it is thence figuratively applied to one whose extrava- 
gance and debaucheries have rendered him good for nothing. The 
origin of the term nebulo is disputed. — 105. Est inter Tanain quiddam, 
&c. " There is some difference certainly between Tanais and the father- 
in-law of Visellus." "The poet offers the example of two men, as 
much unlike as the miser is to the prodigal. Compare the remark of 
Doring. " Tanais, Maecenatis liberlus, spado, at socer quidem Viselli 
herniosus fuisse dicitui . Multum inter se differeb ant igitur isti duo homines." 
— 106. Est modus in rebus, &c. " There is a mean in all things, there 
are, in fine, certain fixed limits, on either side of which what is right 
cannot be found." Rectum is here equivalent to the t& dpddv of the GreeKs, 
(" Q,uod ad certani normam recti fit") 

108 — 120. 108. Illuc vnde abii redeo. The poet now returns to the 
proposition with which he originally set out, that all men are dissatisfied 
with their respective lots. — Neman' ut avams, &c. " Like the miser, will 
no man think himself happy, and will he rather deem their condition en- 
viable who follow pursuits in life that are different from his own?" i. e. 
Is it possible that all resemble the covetous man in this ? to be dissatis- 
fied with what they have, and to envy those around them. — 112. Tabes- 
cat ? "Will he pine with envy?" — 111. Neque se majori pauperiorum, 
&c. "And will he not compare himself with the greater number of 
those who are less supplied than himself with the comforts of life ?" — 
114. Carceribus. " From the barriers." Consult note on Ode, 1. 1. 4. 
— 115. Suos vincentibus. "That outstrip his own." Understand equos. 
— 120. .Ye me Crispini, &c. " Lest thou mayest think that I have been 
robbing the portfolio of the blear-eyed Crispinus." The individual here 
alluded to would seem to have been a ridiculous philosopher and poet of 
the day, and notorious for his garrulity. (Compare Serm. 1. 3. 139.) 
According to the scholiast, he wrote some verses on the Stoic philosophy, 
and, on account of his loquacity, received the appellation of UpcraXoyos. 
Why Horace should here style him " blear-eyed, when he laboured under 
this defect himself (Serm. 1. 5. 30 and 49.) has given rise to considera- 
ble discission among the commentators. The explanation of Doring 
is the most reasonable. This critic supposes that Horace, having been 
called by Crispinus, and other of his adversaries, " the blear-eyed poet," 
through contempt, now hurls back this epithet (lippus) upon the offend- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. SATIRE II. 435 

ers, with the intent, however, that it should refer rather to the obscurity 
which shrouded their mental vision. 



Satire 2. " In the previous Satire," remarks Watson, "Horace 
had observed that there was a measure in things ; that there were fixed 
and stated bounds, out of which it would be in vain to look for what 
was right. Yet so it is with the greater part of mankind, that, instead 
of searching for virtue where reason directs, they always run from one 
extreme to another, and despise that middle way where alone they can 
have any chance to find her. The design of the poet, in the present 
Satire, is to expose the folly of this course of conduct, and to show 
men that they thereby plunge themselves into a wider and more unfa- 
thomable sea of misery, increase their wants, and ruin both their repu- 
tation and their fortune : whereas, would men be but prevailed upon to 
live within the bounds prescribed by nature, they might avoid all these 
calamities, and have wherewith to supply their real wants. He takes 
occasion from the death of Tigellius, a well-known singer, to begin 
with observing the various judgments men pass upon actions and cha- 
racters, according to their different humours. Some commend a man 
as liberal and generous, whom olhers censure as profuse and extrava- 
gant. From this difference of judgment proceeds a difference of beha- 
viour, in which men seldom observe any degree of moderation, but 
always run from one extreme to another. One, disdaining to be thought 
a miser, profusely squanders away his estate ; another, fearing to be 
accounted negligent, in his affairs, practises all the unjustifiable methods 
of extortion, and seeks in every way to better his fortune. Thus it 
happens that the middle course is neglected ; for 

Dim vitant stidti vitia, in contraria currunt. • 

The poet then proceeds to show that the same observation holds good 
in all the other pursuits of life, as well as in those several passions by 
which men are commonly influenced. Fancy and inclination usually 
determine them, when little or no regard is paid to the voice of reason. 
Hence he takes occasion to attack two of the reigning vices of his 
time." 

1 — 11. 1. Ambubaiarum collegia, &c. " The colleges of music-girls, 
the quacks, the sharping vagabonds, the female mime-players, the 
trencher-cousins of the day," &c. The Ambubaice were female flute- 
players, from Syria. The morals of this class of females may be ascer- 
tained from Juvenal, 3. 62. They were accustomed to wander about 
the forum and the streets of the capital, and the poet very pleasantly 
applies here to their strolling bands the dignified appellation of collegia. 
— Pharmacopolce. Not " apothecaries," as some translate the term, but 
rather wandering quacks, armed with panaceas and nostrums. — 2. Men- 
dici. The allusion here is not to actual mendicants, but to the priests 
of Isis and Cybele, and other persons of this stamp, who, while in ap- 
pearance and conduct but little removed from mendicity, practised every 
mode of cheating and imposing upon the lower orders. — Mimm. These 
were female-players of the most debauched and dissolute kind. — Bala- 
trones. The various explanations given of this term, render it difficult 
to determine what the true meaning is. Our translation accords with 
40 



436 EXPLANATORY NOTES. SATIRE II. 

the remark of Doling, who makes the word denote the whole cluss of 
low and dirty parasites.— 3. Tigelli. The reference is to M. Hermo- 
i ig< llms, u well-known singer and musician of the day, who hud 
stood high in favour with Julius Caesar, and after him with '.Augustus. 
He seems to have been indebted lor his elevation to a tine voice, and a 
courtly and insinuating address. His moral character may be inferred 
from those who are said here to deplore his death, and on whom he 
would appear to have squandered much of his wealth. — 4. Quippe be- 
nignus erat. " For he was a kind patron." — Contra hie. The reference 
is now to some other individual of directly opposite character. — 7. Htmc 
si ptrconteris, kc. " If ihou ask a third, why, lost to every better feel- 
ing, he squanders the noble inheritance of his ancestors in ungrateful 
gluttony." — S. Stringat, The allusion is properly a figurative one to 
the stripping off the leaves from a branch. — 9. Omnia conductis coemens, 
ficc. " Buying up with borrowed money every rare and dainty viand." 
The lender is said heart pecuniam, the borrower, conducere pecuniam. — 
10. .Inimi purvi. " Of a mean spirit." — 11. Laudator ah his, Sac. "For 
this line of conduct, he is commended by some, he is censured by 
others." 

12 — 20. 12. Fufidius. A noted usurer. — Vappa ftmam timet ac ne- 
bulonis. Consult note on Satire 1.1. 104. — 13. Positisinfancre. "Laid 
out at interest." Pecuniam in fenon ponere is used for pecuniam fenori 
dure — 11. Qjuinas hie capiti, &c. "He deducts from the principal five 
common interests." Among the Romans, as among the Greeks, mo- 
lent from month to month, and the interest for the month pre- 
ceding was paid on the < ialends of the next. The usual rate was one 
n\ monthU tor the use of a hundred, or 12 percent, per annum; which 
was called usura ccntesima, because in a hundred months the interest 
equalled the principal. In the present case, however, Fufidius charges 
it. monthly, or CO per cent, per annum; and, not content even 
with this exorbitant usury, actually deducts the interest before the mo- 
ney is lent For instance he buds a hundred pounds, and at the end of 
the month the borrower is to pay him a hundred and five, principal and 
interest. But he gives only ninety-five pounds, deducting his interest 
when he lends the money, and thus in twenty months he doubles his 
principal. — 15. Quanto perditior, Sac. "The more of a spendthrift, he 
perceives one to be, the more he rises in his demands." — 16. Nomina. 
sectatur, modo sumta teste vnrili, Sac. " He is at great pains in getting 
young heirs into his debt, who have just taken the manly gown, and 
who live under the control of close and frugal fathers," i. e. he is anxious 
to get their names on his books. Among the Romans, it was a cus- 
tomary formality, in borrowing money, to write down the sum and sub- 
scribe the person's name in the banker's books. Hence nomen is put 
for a debt, for the cause of a debt, for an article of account, &c. — Modo 
sumta veste virili. The toga virilis, or manly gown, was assumed at the 
completion of the seventeenth year. — 18. At in se pro qucestu, Sac. " But, 
thou wilt say, his expenses are in proportion to his gains." — 19. Quam 
sibi rum sit amicus. "How little he is his own friend," i. e. how he 
pinches himself. — 20. Terenti fabula quern miserum, &c. "Whom the 
play of Terence represents to have led a wretched life, after he had 
driven his son from his roof." The allusion is to Menedemus, in the 
play of "the Self-tormentor," (Heaatontimorumenos,) who blames him- 
self for having, by his unkind treatment, induced his only son to for- 
sake him and go abroad into the army, and resolves, by way of self- 
punishment, to lead a miserable and penurious life. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SATIRE III. 437 

Satire 3. This Satire is directed against the inclination which many 
persons feel to put a bad construction on the actions of others, and to 
exaggerate the faults which they may perceive in their character or dis- 
position. This failing, which perhaps had not been very prevalent- in 
republican Rome, when the citizens lived openly in each other's view, 
had increased under a monarchical government, in which secrecy pro- 
duced mistrust and suspicion. The satirist concludes with refuting the 
absurd principle of the portico — that all faults and vices have the same 
degree of enormity. (Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. 3. p. 248.) 

3 — 10. 3. Sardus habebat, &c. " Tigellius of Sardinia, whom every 
body recollects, had this failing." Me is here strongly emphatic, and in- 
dicative, at the same time, of contempt. As regards Tigellius consult 
note on Satire 1. 2. 3. — 4. Coisar. Alluding to Augustus. — 5. Patris. 
Alluding to Julius Caesar, whose adopted son Augustus was. — 6. Si col- 
libuisnel. "If he himself felt in the humour." — Jib ovo usque ad mala, &c. 
" He would sing Io Bacche ! over again and again, from the beginning 
to the end of the entertainment." These words Io Bacche ! formed the 
commencement of the drinking catch which Tigellius incessantly re- 
peated, and hence, in accordance with a custom prevalent also in our 
own times, they serve to indicate the song or catch itself. As regards 
the expression ab ovo usque ad mala, it may be observed, that the Romans 
began their entertainments with eggs and ended with fruits. — 7. Modo 
summa voce., ike. " At one time in the highest key, at another time in 
that which corresponds with the base of the tetrachord." Literally, 
"which sounds gravest among the four strings of the tetrachord." The 
order of construction is as follows. " modo summa voce, modo hac voce 
qux resonat (i. e. est) in quatuor chordis wncs." — 9. Nil aquale honiini fait 
Mi. " There was nothing uniform in that man." — Sczpe velut qui curre- 
bat, &c. The construction is, sazpe currebat velut qui hostem fugiens 
(scil. curreret). — 10. Perscepe velut qui Junonis, &c. We most not un- 
derstand currebat here with perscepe, but lento gradu incedebal; ox some- 
thing equivalent, as is plainly required by the context. From this pas- 
sage, and from a remark of the scholiast, it would appear that, on the 
festivals of Juno, processions were customary, in which Canephori had a 
part to bear. Their gait was always dignified and slow. 

12 — 21. 12. Tetrarchas. " Tetrarchs." Tetrarcha originally denoted 
one who ruled over the fourth part of a country or kingdom, (fromT/rrapa 
and apx'i-) Afterwards, however, the term merely came to signify a minor 
or inferior potentate, without any reference to the extent of territory go • 
verned. — 13. Loquens. "Talking of." This term here carries with it 
the idea of a boastful and pompous demeanour. — Mensa tripes. The 
tables of the poorer class among the Romans commonly had but three 
feet. — 14. Concha salis pari. "A shell of clean salt." A shell formed in gene- 
ral the salt-cellar of the poor. — -15. Decies centena dedisses. " Hadst thou 
given a million of sesterces to this frugal being, this man who could live hap- 
pily on so little, in five days there was nothing in his coffers." The use of 
the indicative erat, in place of the subjunctive, serves to give more liveliness 
to the representation. As regards the expression Decies centena, it must 
be recollected that there is an ellipsis of millia s ester Hum. —XI '. Nodes vi- 
gilabat ad ipsum mane, &c. " He would sit up all night until the very morn- 
ing, he would snore away the entire day. Never was there any thing so 
inconsistent with itself." — 20. Imo alia, et fortasse minora. "Yes, I 
have faults of anot .erkind, though perhaps less disagreeable." The usage 
of the conjunction el in this passage is analogous to that of (cat for kclltoi 



438 EXPLANATORT NOTES. — SATIRE III. 

in Greek. — 21. Manius. Horace, after acknowledging that he was not 
without faults, here resumes the discourse. I am far, says the poet, from 
being like Maenius, who defames his friend, and at the same time winks 
at much greater failings in himself. On the contrary, I consider him 
every waydeserving of the severest censure. The individual here alluded 
to, is, in all probability, the same with the Maenius mentioned in the first 
Satire. There he appears as a worthless and profligate man, here as a 
slanderer. 

22 — 27. 22. Ignoras te 1 an ut ignotum, &c. " Art thou unacquainted 
with thyself? or dost thou think that thou art going to impose upon us, as 
one who is a stranger to his own failings?" With ignotum understand 
sibi. — 24. Stidtus et improbus hie amor est. "This is a foolish and un- 
just self-love.'' With amor supply sui. — 25. Quum tua pervideas oculis, 
&c. "When thou lookest on thine own faults as it were with anointed 
eyes, obscure of vision to thine own harm." The man who winks at his 
own defects, is not unaptly compared to one who labours under some dis- 
temper of vision (lippiludo,) and whose eyes, smeared with ointment 
(coi'yrium,) arc almost dosed on external objects. Pervideas, in the text, 
is used for the simple verb as in Greek Kart&uv for Uetv. As regards the 
construction of malt wilh lippus, it must be observed, that the meaning of 
this adverb, in passages, when thus construed, varies according to the 
nature of the context : thus, male laxiu is for nimis laxus, male sedulus for 
importune sedulus, male raucus for inoleste raucus, &c— 26. Jlcutum. Put 
for acute. — 27. Epidaitrius. Either an ornamental epithet, or else alluding 
to the circumstance of the serpent being sacred to Aesculapius, who had a 
celebrated temple at Eptdaurusin Argolis. The ancients always ascribed 
a very piercing sight to serpents, particularly to their fabled dragon. Hence 
the etymology of draco (ipdicwv) from Slpicw, {Upanov, SpdKtav.) 

29—36. 29. Iracundior est paulo. "A friend of thine is a little too 

?|uick-tempered." The poet here begins to insist on the duty we owe our 
riends, of pardoning their little failings, especially if they be possessed of 
talents and moral worth. — Jtftnua aptus aevtis naribus, &c. "He is too 
homely a person for the nice perceptions of gentility which these individu- 
als possess." As regards the phrase acutis naribus, it may be remarked 
that it stands in direct opposition to obesis naribus. The former, taken in 
a more literal sense than in the present passage, denotes a natural quick- 
ness and sharpness of the senses, the latter the reverse. — 30. Rideri possit, 
eo quod, &c. " He is liable to be laughed at, because his hair is cut in too 
clownish a manner, his toga drags on the ground, and his loose shoe 
hardly keeps on his foot." — 31. Ruslidus lonso. More literally : "to him 
shorn in too clownish a manner." Understand Mi. — Male. This adverb 
qualifies hceret, not laxus. — 32. M est bonus, &c. " But he is a worthy 
man : so much so, indeed, that a worthier one does not live." The idea 
intended to be conveyed by the whole passage is as follows : But what of 
all this ? He is a man of worth, he is thy friend, he has distinguished talents, 
and therefore thou shouldst bear with his failings. — 33. Ingenium ingens 
incullo, &c. " Talents of a high order lie concealed beneath this unpolish- 
ed exterior." — 34. Denique te ipsum concute. "In fine, examine thine 
own breast carefully," i. e. be not a censor towards others, until thou hast 
been one to thyself. — 36. Namque neglectis urenda, &c. " For the fern, 
fit only to be burned, is produced in neglected fields." The idea intended 
to be conveyed is this : As neglected fields must be cleared by fire of the 
fern which has overrun them, so must those vices be eradicated from the 
breast, which either nature or evil habits have produced. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SATIRE III. 439 

38 — 40. 38. Illuc prcBvertamur, amatorem, &c. The transition here is 
short, and consequently somewhat obscure. Prcevertere signifies, pro- 
perly, to get before another by taking a shorter path ; and hence, when 
the context, as in the present instance, refers to the mariner in which a 
subject is to be considered, this verb will denote an abandoning of more 
formal and tedious arguments in order to arrive at our conclusion by a 
nearer and simpler way. The passage under consideration, therefore, 
may be rendered as follows: "But, omitting more formal arguments, 
let us merely turn our attention to the well-known circumstance, that 
the disagreeable blemishes of a beloved object escape her blinded ad- 
mirer." To desire mankind, as Sanadon well remarks, to examine 
their own hearts, and enquire whether their vices proceed from nature 
or custom, constitution or education, is to engage them in a long and 
thorny road. It is an easier and shorter way, to mark the conduct of 
others ; to turn their mistakes to our own advantage, and endeavour to 
do by virtue, what they do by a vicious excess. — 40. Polypus. The first 
syllable is lengthened by the arsis. By the polypus is here meant a 
swelling in the hollow of the nostrils, which either grows downward and 
dilates the nostrils so as to deform the visage, or else, taking an oppo- 
site direction, extends into the fauces and produces danger of strangu- 
lation. In both cases a very offensive smell is emitted. It receives its 
name from resembling, by its many roots or fibres, the sea-animal termed 
polypus, so remarkable for its numerous feet, or rather feelers, (ttoXvs 
and ttoSj.) 

41 — 48. 41. Vellem in amicitia, &c. "I could wish that we might 
err in a similar way, where our friends are concerned, and that virtue 
would give to this kind of weakness some honourable name," i. e. would 
that, as the lover is blind to the imperfections of his fair one, so we might 
close our eyes on the petty failings of a friend, and that they who teach 
the precepts of virtue would call this weakness on our part by some en- 
gaging name, so as to tempt more to indulge in it. — 43. Jit. " For." 
In the sense of enimvero. The construction of the passage is as fol- 
lows : "Jit, ut pater non fastidit, si quod sit vitium gnati, sic nos dtbemus 
non fastidire, si quod sit vitium amid. — 44. Strabonem appellat Pcetum 
pater. "His squint-eyed boy a father calls Patus," i. e. pink-eyed. 
Pcetus is one who has pinking eyes. This was accounted a beauty, and 
Venus's eyes were commonly painted so. — 45. Et pullum, male parvus, 
&c. " And if any parent has a son of very diminutive size, as the abor- 
tive Sisyphus formerly was, he styles him Pvllus" i. e. his chicken. 
The personage here alluded to, under the name of Sisyphus, was a 
dwarf of Mark Antony's'. He was of very small stature, under two 
feet, but extremely shrewd and acute, whence he obtained the appella- 
tion of Sisyphus, in allusion to that dexterous and cunning chieftain of 
fabulous times. — 47. Varum. " A Varus." — 48. Scaurum. " One of 
the Scauri." It will be observed that all the names here given by the 
poet, Pectus, Pullus, Varus, and Scaurus, were surnames of Roman fa- 
milies more or less celebrated. This imparts a peculiar spirit to the ori- 
ginal, especially in the case of the two latter, where the parent seeks to 
cover the deformities of his offspring with names of dignity. Varus, as 
an epithet, denotes one who has the legs bent inwards, or as the scho- 
liast expresses it, " cujus pedes introrsum retortoz sunt." The opposite to 
this is Valgus. By the appellation Scaurus, is meant one who has the 
ankles branching out, or is club-footed, 

49 — 66. 49. Parents hie vivit ? frugi dicatur. The poet here exem- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — SATIRE III. 



plifies this rale as he would wish it to operate in the case of friends. 
" Does this friend of thine live rather too sparingly ? let him be styled 
by thee a man of frugal habits." — Ineptus et jaclantior hie paulo est ? 
"Is this one accustomed to forget what time and place and circum- 
stance demand, and is he a little too much given to boasting ?" As re- 
gards the term ineptus, our language appears to be in the same predica- 
ment, in which, according to Cicero, the Greek tongue was, having no 
single word by which to express its meaning. {De Orat. 2. 4.) — 
50. Concinnus amicis poslulat, &c " He requires that he appear to his 
friends an agreeable companion," i. e. he requires this by the operation 
of the rule which the poet wishes to see established in matters of friend- 
ship.— 31. At est tmculentior, &c. "But is he too rude, and more free 
in what he says than is consistent with propriety ? let him be regarded 
as one who speaks just what he thinks, and who is a stranger to all 
fear." — 53. Caldior est 1 acres inter numeretur. "Is he too quick and 
passionate ? let him be reckoned among men of spirit." — 55. At nos 
virtutes ipsas inverlimus, &c. " We, however, misrepresent virtues 
themselves, and are desirous of smearing over the cleanly vessel." The 
expression sincerum vas incrustare means either to solder, or varnish, a 
whole vessel, that has no flaw, and therefore needs no solder, or varnish, 
or else to daub over, to taint with a bad smell a pure vessel. The lat- 
ter of these two significations prevails here. 57. J\lultum est demissus 
homo? "Is he a man of very modest and retiring character?" — Illi 
tardo cognomen, &c. " We call him heavy and dull." — 59. Nullique malo 
lalus obdit apertum, "And exposes an unguarded side to no ill-design- 
ing person," i. e. lays himself open to the arts of no bad man. — 61. 
Crimina. In the sense of criminationes. — Pro bene sano ac non incauto, 
&c. " Instead of a discreet and guarded, we style him a disguised and 
subtle, man." — 63. Simplicior quis, et est, &c. Is any one of a more 
simple and thoughtless character than ordinary, and is he such a per- 
son," &c. By the term simplicior is here meant an individual of plain 
and simple manners, who thoughtlessly disregards all those little mat- 
ters, to which others so assiduously attend, who wish to gain the favour 
of the rich and powerful. Horace names himself among these, probably 
to remove a reproach thrown upon him by his enemies of being a refined 
courtier. — 63. Libenter. "Whenever the humour has seized me." — 64. 
Ut forte legentem aut taciturn, fyc. "So as, perhaps, unseasonably intru- 
sive, to interrupt another, when reading or musing, with any trifling 
conversation." — 66. Communi sensu plane caret. The creature evidently 
wants common sense." The communis sensus, to which reference is 
here made, is a knowledge of what time, place and circumstance de- 
mand from us in our intercourse with others, and especially with the 
rich and powerful. 

67 — 82. 67. Quam temere in nosmet, &c. The idea intended to be 
conveyed is as follows : How foolish is this conduct of ours in severely 
marking the trifling faults of our friends. As we judge them, so shall 
we be in turn judged by them. — 69. Amicus dulcis, ut aequum est, &c. 
"Let a kind friend, when he weighs my imperfections against my good 
qualities, incline, what is no more than just, to the latter as the more nu- 
merous of the two, if virtues do but preponderate in me." The meta- 
phor is taken from weighing in a balance, and the scale is to be turned 
in favour of a friend. Cum, in this passage, is not a preposition as 
some would consider it, but a conjunction ; and the expression mea bona 
compenset vitiis, is a species of hypallage for vitia mea compenset bonis. — 
72. Hoc lege. " On this condition." — In trutina ponetur eadem, " He 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE III. 441 

gftall be placed in the same balance," i. e. his failings shall be estimated 
la return by me with equal kindness. — 76. Denique, quatenus excidi, &c. 
''Finally, since the vice of anger cannot be wholly eradicated." The 
second part of the Satire begins here. — 77. Stultis. The stoics called 
all persons who did not practise their peculiar rules of wisdom, fools and 
mad. — 78. Ponderibus modulisque suis. "Her weights and measures." 
— Res ut quaeque est. " According to the nature of each particular case," 
i. e. as each particular case requires. — 80. Tollere. " To take away," i. e. 
from table. — 81. Ligurrierit. In the sense of degustaverit. — 82. Labeone. 
It is altogether uncertain what individual the poet here intends to desig- 
nate. 

83 — 89. 83. Quanta furiosins, &c. " How much more insane, and 
how much greater than this is the crime of which thou art guilty." Hoc 
is here the ablative, not the nominative, and refers to the cruel conduct 
of the master towards his slave. The crime alluded to in psccatum is 
stated immediately after, " Paulum deli quit amicus" &c. — 85. Concedas. 
" Overlookest." — Insuavis. "Unkind." — 86. Rusonem. Ruso was a 
well-known usurer, and at the same time prided himself on his literary 
talents. When his debtors were unable to pay the principal or the in- 
terest that was due, their only way to mitigate his anger was to listen 
patiently to him while he read over to them his wretched historical pro- 
ductions. He was thus, as Francis well observes, a double torment, he 
ruined the poor people, who borrowed money, by his extortion, and he 
read them to death with his works. — 87. Tristes Kalendaz. The Calends 
are here called tristes, or gloomy, in allusion to the poor debtor who finds 
himself unable to pay what he owes. Money was lent among the Ro- 
mans from month to month, and the debtor would of course be called 
upon for payment of the principal or interest on the Calends of the 
ensuing month. Another part of the month for laying out money at 
interest or calling it in was the Ides. Consult note on Epode 2. 67. — 
88. Mercedemaui nummos. "The interest or principal." — Undeunde. 
"In some way or other." — Jlmaras. Equivalent to inepte scriptas. — 89. 
Porrecto jugulo. Ruso reads his unfortunate hearer to death with his 
silly trash, and the poor man, stretching out his ncek to listen, is com- 
pared to one who is about to receive the blow of the executioner. — 
Audit. " Is compelled to listen to." 

91 — 95. 91. Evandri manibus tritum. " Fashioned in relief by the 
hands of Evander," i. e. adorned with work in relief. As regards the 
Evander here mentioned, the scholiast informs us that he was a distin- 
guished artist, carried from Athens to Alexandrea by Mark Antony, and 
thence subsequently to Rome. Some commentators, however, under- 
stand by the expression Evandri manibus tritum a figurative allusion to 
the great antiquity of the article in question, as if it had been worn 
smooth as it were by the very hands of Evander, the old monarch of 
early Roman story. — 95. Commissa fide. " Secrets confided to his ho- 
nour." Fide is here the old form of the dative. Compare Ode 3. 7. 4. 
— Sponsumve negarit. " Or has broken his word." 

96 — 110. 96. Quels paria esse fere placuit, &c. The poet here begins 
an attack on the Stoic sect, who maintained the strange doctrine that all 
offences were equal in enormity. According to them, every virtue being 
a conformity to nature, and every vice a deviation from it, nil virtues and 
vices were equal. One act of beneficence, or justice, is not more truly so 
than another : one fraud is not more a fraud than another : therefore there 



44i2 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. SATIRE III. 

is no other difference in the essential nature of moral actions, than that 
some are vicious, and others virtuous. — 97. Quum ventum ad varum est 
"When they come to the plain realities of life." — Sensus moresque. "The 
general sense of mankind and the established customs of all nations." — 
99. Quum prorepserunt, &c. Horace here follows the opinion of Epicurus 
respecting the primitive state of man. According to this philosopher, the 
first race of men rose out of the earth, in which they were formed by a 
mixture of heat and moisture. Hence the peculiar propriety of prorcpsi- 
runt in the text. — 100. Mutum. By this epithet is meant the absence of 
articulate language, and the possession merely of certain natural cries like 
other animals. According to Epicurus and his followers, articulate lan- 
guage was an improvement upon the natural language of man, produced 
by its general use, and by that general experience which gives improve- 
ment to every thing. — 101. Pugnis. From pugnus. — 102. Usus. "Ex- 
perience." — 103. Quibus voces sensusque notarent. "By which to mark 
articulate sounds, and to express their feelings." A word is an articulate 
or vocal sound, or a combination of articulate and vocal sounds, uttered 
by the human voice, and by custom expressing an idea or ideas. — 104. 
Nomina. " Names for things." — 105. Poncre. "To enact." — 110. Viri- 
bus editior. " The stronger." 

112 — 123. 112. Fastosque mundi. "And the annals of the world," 
i. e. the earliest accounts that have reached us respecting the primitive 
condition of man. — 113. Nee natura pokst, &c. A denial of the Stoic 
maxim, that justice and injustice have their first principles in nature itself. 
— 114. Dividit. "Discerns." — 115. Nee vincet ratio hoc, &.C. "Nor will 
the most subtle reasoning ever convince us of this, that he sins equally 
and the same," &c. By ratio are here meant the refined and subtle dis- 
quisitions of the Stoics on the subject of morals. — 116. Caules. "Cole- 
worts." — Fregt rit. " Has broken off and carried away." Equivalent to 
fractos abstulerit. — 117. Nvclumus. "In the night-season." — Adsilregula. 
"Let some standard be fixed." — 118. Jlequas. "Proportioned to them." 
— 119. Scviica. The sculica was a simple "strap," or thong of leather, 
used for slight offences, particularly by school-masters, in correcting their 
pupils. The flag/Hum, on the other hand, was a "lash," or whip, made 
of leathern thongs, or twisted cords, tied to the end of a stick, sometimes 
sharpened with small bits of iron or lead at the end. This was used in 
correcting great offenders. — 120. Ne ferula ccedas, &c. The ferida was a 
"rod," or stick, with which, as with the sculica, boys at school were accus- 
tomed to be corrected. — 122. Magnis parva. "Small equally with great 
offences." — 123. Si tibi regnvm, &c. The poet purposely adopts this 
phraseology, that he may pass the more easily, by means of it, to another 
ridiculous maxim of the Stoic school. Hence the train of reasoning is as 
follows : Thou sayest, that thou wilt do this if men will only entrust the 
supreme power into thy hands. But why wait for this, when, according 
to the very tenets of thy sect, thou already hast what thou wantest? For 
thy philosophy teaches thee that the wise man is in fact a king. The 
doctrine of the Stoics about their wise man, to which the poet here alludes, 
was strangely marked with extravagance and absurdity. For example, 
they asserted, that he feels neither pain nor pleasure ; that he exercises no 
pity ; that he is free from faults ; that he is Divine; that he can neither de- 
ceive nor be deceived ; that he does all things well : that he alone is great, 
noble, ingenuous ; that he is the only friend ; that he alone is free ; that he 
is a prophet, a priest, and a king ; and the like. In order to conceive the 
true notion of the Stoics concerning their wise man, it must be clearly un- 
derstood, that they did not suppose such a man actually to exist, but that 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE IT. 443 

they framed in their imagination an image of perfection towards which 
every man should constantly aspire. All the extravagant things which 
are to be met with in their writings on this subject, may be referred to 
their general principle, of the entire sufficiency of virtue to happiness, 
and the consequent indifference of all external circumstances. (Enfield's 
Hist. Phil. vol. 1. p. 346. seqq. 

126 — 132. 126. Non nosti quid pater, &c. The stoic is here supposed 
to rejoin, and to attempt an explanation of this peculiar doctrine of his 
sect. — 127. Chrysippus. After Zeno, the founder of the school, no phi- 
losopher more truly exhibited the character, or more strongly display ed 
the doctrines of the Stoic sect, than Chrysippus. — 127. Crepidas nee se- 
lects. "Either sandals or slippers." — 129. Hermogenes. The same with 
the Tigeilius mentioned at the beginning of this Satire. — 130. Mfenus 
vafer. " The subtle Alfenus." Alfenus Varus, a barber of Cremona, 
growing out of conceit with his profession, quitted it, and came to Rome, 
where, attending the lectures of Servius Sulpicius, a celebrated lawyer, 
he made so great proficiency in his studies, as to become eventually the 
ablest lawyer of his time. His name often occurs in the pandects. He 
was advanced to some of the highest offices in the empire, and obtained 
the consulship, A. U. C. 755. — 132. Operis optimus omnis opifex. "The 
best artist in every kind of work." 

133 — 140. 133. Vellunt tibi barbam. The poet replies, and draws a 
laughable picture of the philosophic monarch, surrounded by the young 
rabble in the streets of Rome. To pluck a man by the beard, was re- 
garded as such an indignity, that it gave rise to a proverb among both 
the Greeks and Romans. To this species of insult, however, the wan- 
dering philosophers of the day were frequently exposed from the boys in 
the streets of Rome, the attention of the young tormentors being at- 
tracted by the very long beards which these pretenders to wisdom were 
fond of displaying. — 136. Rumperis et latras. " Thou burstest with rage 
and snarlest at them." Wieland thinks that latras is here purposely 
used, in allusion to the resemblance which in some respects existed be- 
tween the Stoics and Cynics of the day. — 137. Ne longum faciam. Sup- 
ply sermonem. " Not to be tedious." — Quadrcaite lavatum. " To bathe 
for a farthing," i. e. to the farthing-bath. As the public baths at Rome 
were built mostly for the common people, they afforded but very indif- 
ferent accommodations. People of fashion had always private baths of 
their own. The strolling philosophers of the day frequented, of course, 
these public baths, and mingled with the lowest of the people. The 
price of admission was a quadrans, or the fourth part of an as. — 138. 
Slipator. "Life-guardsman." A laughable allusion to the retinue of 
the stoic monarch. His royal body-guard consists of the ridiculous 
Crispinus. Compare, as respects this individual, the note on Satire 1. 
1. 120. — 140. Slultus. Another thrust at the Stoics. Compare note on 
verse 77. 



Satire 4. It would appear, that during the life-time of Horace, the 
public were divided in their judgment concerning his Satires — some 
blaming them as too severe, while others thought them weak and trifling. 
Our author, in order to vindicate himself from the charge of indulging 
in too much asperity, shows, in a manner the most prepossessing, that 
he had been less harsh than many other poets, and pleads, as his excuse 
for at all practising this npecies of composition, the education he had re- 



444 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE IT. 

ceived from his father, who, when he wished to deter him from any vice, 
showed its bad consequences in the example of others. 

1 — 2. 1. Eiipolis. An Athenian poet of the Old Comedy. He was 
born about B. C. 446, and was nearly of the same age with Aristopha- 
nes. — Cratinus. Another Athenian poet of the Old Comedy, born B. C. 
519. — Aristophanes. Of Aristophanes antiquity supplies us with few 
notices, and those of doubtful credit. The most likely account makes 
him the son of Philippus, a native of ./Egina, {Jlcharn. 651-2. Schol. Fit. 
.Irish ph. Anonym. Jllhenmis. 6. 227.) The comedian, therefore, was 
an adopted, not a natural, citizen of Athens. The exact dates of his 
birth and death are equally unknown. — 2. Jltque alii, quorum, &c. "And 
others, whose Comedy is of the Old school," i. e. and other writers of the 
Old comedy. Ancient comedy was divided into the Old, the Middle, and 
the Ne ic. In the first, the subject and the characters were real. In the 
second, the subject was still real, but the characters were invented. In 
the third, both the story and the characters were formed by the poet. 
The middle coinedv arose towards the end of the Peloponnesian war, 
when a few persons had possessed themselves of the sovereignty in Athens, 
contrary to the constitution, and checked the license and freedom of the old 
comedy, by having a decree passed, that whoever was attacked by the 
comic poets might prosecute them : it was forbidden also to bring real 
persons on the stage, to imitate their features with masks, &c. The 
comic drama, after more than half a century of vacillating transition from 
its old to its subsequent form, in the age of Alexander finally settled 
down, through the ill-defined gradations of the Middle, into the New 
comedy. The Old comedy drew its subjects from public, the New from 
private, life. The Old comedy often took its " dramatis persona?.," from 
the generals, the orators, the demagogues, or the philosophers of the 
day ; in the New, the characters were always fictitious. The Old com- 
edy was made up of personal satire and the broadest mirth, exhibited 
under all the forms, and with all the accompaniments, which uncontrol- 
led fancy and frolic could conceive. The New Comedy was of a more 
temperate and regulated nature ; its satire was aimed at the abstract 
vice or defect, not at the individual offender. Its mirth was of a restrain- 
ed kind ; and, as being a faithful picture of life, its descriptions of men 
and manners were accurate portraits, not wild caricatures ; and, for the 
same reason, its gaiety was often interrupted by scenes of a grave and 
affecting character. The principal writers of the Middle Comedy were 
Eubulus, Araros, Antiphanes, Anaxandrides, Alexis and Epicrates ; of 
the New, Philippides, Timocles, Philemon, Menander, Diphilus, Apol- 
lodorus, and Posidippus. (Theatre of the Greeks, 2d. ed.p. 185. seqq.) 

3 — 11. 3. Erat dipms describi. "Deserved to he marked out." — 
Mains. " A knave." — 5. Famosus. " Infamous." — Multa cum libertate 
notabant. "Branded him with great freedom." — 6. Hinc omnis pendet 
Lucilius. Literally, " from this Lucilius entirely hangs," i. e. this free- 
dom of Satire was also the great characteristic of Lucilius. Lucilius 
was a F.oman knight, born A. U. C. 505, at Suessa, a town in the Au- 
runcan territory. He was descended of a good family, and was grand 
uncle by the mother's side to Pompey the great. His chief character- 
istic was his vehement and cutting satire. Macrobius (Sat. 3. 16.) calls 
him " Acer et violentus poeta ;" — 7. Mutatis tantum pedibus numerisque, 
&c. " Having changed merely the feet and the rhythm of his verse." 
This applies to the greater part, not however to all, of his satires. The 
Greek comic writers, like the tragic, wrote in Iambic verse, (trimeters.) 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EOOK I. SATIRE IT. 445 

Lucilius, on the other hand, adopted the Hexameter versification in 
twenty books of his satires, from the commencement, while in the rest, 
with the exception of the thirtieth, he employed Iambics or Trochaics. 
— 3. Emunctae naris, durus componere versus. " Of nice discernment, 
though harsh in the structure of his lines." — 10. Ut magnum. " As if 
it were a great feat." Compare the explanation of the scholiast : 
" Tanquam rem magnam et laude dignam." — Stems pede in uno. " Stand- 
ing on one foot." This, of course, must be taken in a figurative sense, 
and is intended merely to signify " in a very short time." Horace sati- 
rizes Lucilius for his hurried copiousness and facility. — 1 1 . Quum fiueret 
lutulentus, &c. " As he flowed muddily along, there was always some- 
thing that one would feel inclined to throw away," i. e. to take up and 
cast aside as worthless. Horace compares the whole poetry of Luciliu3 
to a muddy and troubled stream, continually bearing impurities on its 
surface that one would feel inclined to remove. 

12 — 21. 12. Scribendi labcrrem. By this is meant in fact the labour of 
correction, as the poet himself immediately after adds. — 13. Scribendi 
recte, &c. "I mean of writing correctly, for, as to how much he wrote, 
I do not at all concern myself about that." Lucilius was a very volumi- 
nous writer. — 13. Ecce, Crispinus minimo me provocat. Understand num- 
mo. " See, Crispinus challenges me in the smallest sum I choose to 
name." The meaning is, that Crispinus offers to bet a large sum, so cer- 
tain is he of victory, against the smallest sum the poet feels inclined to 
stake. Hence the passage may be paraphrased as follows : "Crispinus 
offers to bet with me, a hundred to one." — 16. Custodes. "Inspectors," to 
see that they neither brought with them verses already composed, nor such 
as were the production of others. — 17. Di bene fecerunt, &c. The idea 
intended to be conveyed is this : I will have nothing to do with thy wager, 
Crispinus. The gods be praised for having made me what I am, a man 
of moderate powers and retiring character. Do thou go on, undisturbed 
by any rivalry on my part, with thy turgid and empty versifying. — Inopis 
me quodque pusilli, &c. "In having made me of a poor and humble 
mind." — 19. Jit lu conclusas, &c. The order of construction is as follows : 
Jit tu imitare, ut mavis, auras conclusas hircinis foltibus, laborantes usque 
dum ignis molliat ferrum." — 20. Usque. "Constantly." — 21. Ut mavis. 
" Since thou dost prefer this." 

21 — 32. 21. Beatus Fannius. " A happy man is Fannius, his wri- 
tings and his bust having been carried, without any trouble on his part, 
to the public library." In rendering ultro, (which is commonly trans- 
lated " unasked for"), we have followed the authority of the scholiast. 
" Fannius Q,uadratus, poeta malus, cum liberosnonhaberet, haeredipetae sine 
ejus cura et studio (ultro) libros ejus et imaginem inpublicas bibliothecas re- 
ferebant, nullo tamen merito scriptoris. v In this way, ullro may have a 
double meaning : the one mentioned by the scholiast in relation to the 
legacy-hunters, and the other slyly alluding to the absence of all men- 
tal exertion, on the part of Fannius himself, towards rendering his pro- 
ductions worthy of so high an honour. At Rome, when a poet had 
gained for himself a distinguished name among his contemporaries, his 
works and his bust were placed in the public libraries. Fannius, how- 
ever, lucky man, secures for himself a niche there, without any trouble 
on his part, either bodily or mental. — 22. Capsis. Literally, " his book- 
cases." The capsae were cases or boxes for holding books or writings. 
By the use of the term on the present occasion, the poet would seem to 
allude to the voluminous nature of the wretched productions of Fannius. 



41G EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE IV. 

— 23. Timtntis. The genitive, as in apposition with the personal pro- 
noun met, which is implied in the possessive mea. — 24. Genus hoc. Un- 
derstand scribendi. Alluding to Satire. — 24. Quemm media elige turba. 
" Take any one at random from the midst of the crowd." — 28. Hunc ca- 
pit argmti splendor, &c. "This one the glitter of silver captivates, Albius 
is lost in admiration of bronze." By argcnli, vessels of silver are meant ; 
and by aere, vessels and statues of bronze. — Albius. Not the poet, Al- 
bius Tibullus, as Baxter would have us believe, but some individual or 
other, remarkable merely for his passionate attachment to bronze. — 29. 
MuUl merces. " Trades." — Ad extra, quo vespertina, &c. An elegant cir- 
cumlocution for " the west." With turn, supply solem. — 30. Qwin per 
mala praeceps, &c. " Nay, like dust gathered by the whirlwind, he is 
borne headlong through "the midst of dangers." — 32. Summa deperdaL 
For perdat de summa. 

34 — 43. 34. Fenum habet in cornu. "He has hay on his horn," i. e. 
he is a dangerous creature. This, according to the satirist, is the cry 
with which the poet is greeted, whenever he shows himself to any of the 
characters that have just been described, and they instantly clear the way 
for him by a rapid retreat. The expression in the text is a figurative 
one, and is taken from the Roman custom of tying hay on the horns of 
such of their cattle as were mischievous, and given to pushing, in order 
to warn passengers to be on their guard. — Dummodo risum excutiat sibi. 
" If he can only raise a laugh for his own amusement." — 36. Et, quod- 
cunque semel chartis illeverit. " And whatever he has once scribbled on 
his paper." With illeverit supply atramento. — Omnes gestiet afurno, &c. 
The idea intended to be conveyed is, that the poet will take delight in 
showing his productions to all, even to the very rabble about town. — 37. 
A Jurno redmntes lacuque. " As they return from the bake-house and 
the basin." By lacus is here meant a basin, or receptacle, containing 
water, supplied from the aepjeducts, for public use. — 39. Dederim qui- 
bus esse poetis. "Whom, for my part, I allow to be poets." Poetis is 
put by a Gnecism for poetas. The perfect of the subjunctive is here used, 
for the purpose of softening the assertion that is made, and removing 
from it every appearance of arrogant authority. So crediderim, " for 
my part I believe :" confirmaverim, " I am inclined to affirm," &c. — 40. 
Concludere version. " To complete a verse," i. e. to give it the proper num- 
ber of feet. — 42. Sermoni. " To prose, i. e. the every-day language ot 
common intercourse. Horace here refers to the style of his satires, and 
their purposely-neglected air. His claims to the title of poet rest on his 
lyric productions ; but at the time when the present satire was written, 
he had made only a few efforts in that species of versification in which he 
was afterwards to receive the highest honours of poetry. — 43. Ingenium 
cui sit, &.c. The term ingenium here means that invention, and the ex- 
pression mens divinior that enthusiasm or poetic inspiration, which can 
alone give success to the votaries of the epic, tragic, or lyric muse. By 
the os magna sonaturum is meant nobleness of style, which also forms an 
important attribute in the character of a poet. 

46 — 56. 46. Q,uod acer spiritus ac vis, &c. "Because neither the 
style nor the subject matter possess fire and force ; because it is mere 
prose, except in so far as it differs from prose by having a certain fixed 
measure." The reasoning in the text is as follows : Three things are 
requisite to form a great poet ; riches of invention, fire of imagination, 
and nobleness of style. But since comedy has none of these, it is 
doubted whether it be a real poem. — 48. At pater aniens, &c. The poet 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE IV. 447 

here supposes some one to object to his remark, respecting the want of 
fire and force in comedy, by referring to the spirited mode in which the 
character of the angry father is drawn, when railing at the excesses of a 
dissipated son. The allusion is to Demea in Terence's Adelphi, and 
to Chremes in the "Self-tormentor" of the same poet. — 49. Nepos films. 
" His dissolute son." — 5 1. Ambulet ante noctem cumfacibus. The refer- 
ence here is more to Greek than Roman manners, the comedies of Te- 
rence being mere imitations of those of Menander. The intoxicated 
and profligate youth were accustomed to rove about the streets, with 
torches, at a late hour of the night, after having ended their orgies within 
doors. But far more disgraceful was it to appear in the public streets, 
in a state of intoxication, and bearing torches, before the day was drawn 
to a close. — 52. Numquid Pomponius istis, &c. We have here the reply 
of the poet, which is simply this ; that, with whatever vehemence of 
language the angry father rates his son, it is very little different from 
what Pomponius might expect from his father, if he were alive. It is the 
natural language of the passions expressed in measures. — 53. Levioru. 
"Less severe reproofs." — Ergo. In order to understand the connection 
here between this sentence and the one which precedes, we must sup- 
pose the following to be understood before ergo. Now, if the railings 
of the angry father have nothing in them either sublime or poetical, and 
if they are equally devoid of ornament and elegance, (i. e. if they are 
pura scil. opprobria,) "then," &c. — 54. Paris verbis. " In words equally 
devoid of ornament and elegance." — 56. Personatus. "Represented on 
the stage." 

58 — 72. 58. Tempora certa modosque, &c. " Their fixed times and 
rhythm." — 60. Non, ut si solvas, &c. The construction is, Non etiam 
invenias membra disjecti poetaz, ut si solvas (hos versus Ennii). The term 
eliam is here equivalent to pariler, and the meaning of the poet is, that 
the lines composed by Lucilius and himself become, when divested of 
number and rhythm, so much prose, and none will find the scattered 
fragments animated with the true spirit of poetry, as he will, if he take 
to pieces the two lines of Ennius which are cited. — 63. Jllias. "At some 
other time." — 65. Sulcius acer et Caprius. The scholiast describes these 
two persons as informers, and at the same time lawyers, hoarse with 
bawling at the bar, and armed with their written accusations. — 66. Baud 
male cumqus libellis. " Hoarse with bawling to the annoyance of their 
hearers, and armed with their written accusations." The expression 
rauci male may also, but with less force, be translated, " completely 
hoarse," i. e. so as to be in danger of losing their voices. — 69. Ut sis tu 
simVis, &c. " So that, even if thou art like the robbers Caelius and Birrius, 
I am not like Caprius or Sulcius," i. e. if thou art a robber like Cselius 
and Birrius, I am not an informer, like Caprius or Sulcius. — 71. Nulla 
taberna meos, &c. " No bookseller's shop, nor pillar, has any productions 
of mine. Books, at Rome, were exposed for sale, either in regular esta- 
blishments, (tabernce librarian), or on shelves around the pillars of porti- 
coes and public buildings. — 72. Queis manus insvdet, &c. " Over which 
the hand of the rabble and of Hermogenes Tigellius may sweat." 

73 — 85. 73. Nee recilo. Understand qua scripsi. — 74. In medio qui, &c. 
It is here objected to the poet, that, if he himself does not openly recite 
satirical verses of his composing, yet there are many who do recite theirs, 
and that too even in the forum and the bath: selecting the latter place in 
particular, because, "being shut in on every side by walls, it gives a 
pleasing echo to the voice." To this the poet replies, that such persona 
41 



448 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE 17. 

are mere fools, and altogether ignorant of what propriety demands, as 10 
shown in their selection of the place where they choose to exhibit them- 
selves. — 77. Haudillud quccrentcs. "Who never stop to put this question 
to themseives." — Sine sensu. " Without any regard to what propriety 
demands." — 78. Ltvdere gaudes, &c. The poet's antagonist is here sup- 
posed to return to the attack with a new charge. Well then, if thou 
recitcst in private and not in public, it is only the prompting of a malicious 
spirit, that thou mayest slander with the more impunity amid the secret 
circle of thy friends ; for " thou takest delight in assailing the characters 
of others," (Lccdere gaudes.) — 79. Et hoc studio pravus fads. "And 
this thou doest from the eager promptings of an evil heart." Literally, 
"and this, evil-hearted, thou doest with eager feelings." — Unde petitum 
hoc in mejacis. The poet indignantly repels the charge, and introduces a 
most beautiful moral lesson respecting the duties of friendship. — 81. Ab- 
sentem qui rottit amievm. In order to connect the train of ideas, we must 
suppose something like the following clause to precede the present line : 
No, the maxim by which my conduct is governed is this. " He who back- 
bites an absent friend," &c. There is no term in our language which 
more forcibly expresses the meaning of rodere in this passage than the 
homely one which we have adopted : " to backbite." And yet even this 
in some respects does not come fully up to the signification of the original. 
The allusion is to that " gnawing" of another's character, which is the mora 
injurious as it is the more difficult to be detected and put down. — 82. 
Solutos qui capiat risus hominum, &c. "Who seeks eagerly for the loua 
laughter of those around him, and the reputation of a wit." The allusion 
is to one, who values not the character or the feelings of others if he can 
but raise a laugh at their expense, and who will sacrifice the ties of inti- 
macy and friendship to some paltry witticism. — 85. Hie niger est, &c. 
"This man is black of heart, shun him thou that hast the spirit of a 
Roman." 

86 — 88. 86. Scepe tribus lectis, &c. The usual number of couches 
placed around the nunsa or table, in the Roman banqueting-room, was 
three, one side of the table being left open for the slaves to bring in and 
out the dishes. On each couch there were commonly three guests, some- 
times four. As Varro directs that the guests should never be below the 
number of the Graces, nor above that of the Muses, four persons on a 
couch would exceed this rule, and make what, in the language of the day, 
would be called a large party. Hence the present passage of Horace may 
be paraphrased as follows : " One may often see a large party assembled 
at supper." — 87. Imus. " He that occupies the lowest seat." The allu- 
sion is to the scurra, buffoon, or jester, who occupied the last seat on the 
lowest couch, immediately below the entertainer. When we speak here 
of the lowest couch in a Roman entertainment, the term must be taken in 
a peculiar sense, and in accordance with Roman usage. The following 
explanation may, in the absence of a diagram, throw some light on this 
point. If the present page be imagined a square, the top and two sides 
will represent the parts of a Roman table along which the three couches 
were placed. The couch on the right-hand was called summits lectus, the 
one placed along the side supposed to correspond with the top of the page 
was called medius lectus, the remaining couch, on the left, was termed 
imus lectus. The last seat on this was the post of the scurra, and imme- 
diately above him reclined the master of the feast. — 87. Quavis adsptrgere 
cunctos. "To attack the whole party with every kind of witticsm." Liter- 
ally: "to besprinkle them all in any way." With quavis understand 
ratione, and not aqua as some commentators maintain. — 88. Prater eum, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE IT, 449 

qui prcebet aquam. " Except him who furnishes the water," i. e. the enter- 
tainer, who supplies the guests with water, either hot or cold, but more 
particularly the former, for the purpose of tempering their wine. — Hunc. 
The entertainer. Understand adspergere. 

90 — 106. 90. Hie tibi comis, &c. " And yet this man appears to thee, 
who art such a foe to the black-hearted, courteous, entertaining, and frank 
in disposition." By nigris are here meant the whole race of secret calum- 
niators and detractors. — 94. Capitolini Petilli. According to the scholiasts, 
this Petillius received his surname of Capitolinus from having been govern- 
or of the capitol. They add, that he was accused of having stolen, during 
his office, a golden crown consecrated to Jupiter, and that, having plead 
his cause in person, he was acquitted by the judges in order to gratify 
Augustus, with whom he was on friendly terms. — 95. Defendas, tit tints 
estmos. "Goon and defend him in thy usual way." — 99. Sed tamen 
admiror, &c. This but, as Francis remarks, spoils all ; and this artful and 
secret calumny has something infinitely more criminal in it, than the care- 
Jess, open freedom of Horace. — 100. Hie nigra fucus loliginis. "This is 
the very venom of dark detraction." Literally : " this is the very dye of 
the black cuttle-fish," i. e. the black dye of the cuttle-fish. The loligo or 
cuttle-fish emits, when pursued, a liquor as black as ink, in order to es- 
cape by thus discolouring the waters around. — 101. Aerugo mera. " This 
is pure malignity." Aerugo means literally the rust of copper, &sferrugo 
does that of iron. The figurative application is extremely beautiful. As 
the rust eats away the metal, so does the gnawing tooth of malignity cor- 
rode the character of its victim. — 102. Atque animo prius. "And from my 
breast before I turn to write." — Ut si quid promittere, &c. The construc- 
tion is: " Si quid, ut aUud (i. e. unquam,) vere de me promittere possum. — 

105. Insuevit hoc me. " Accustomed me to this," i. e. led me into this 
habit, by the peculiar mode of instruction which he adopted in my case. — 

106. Ut fugerem, exemplis, &c. "That by pointing out to me each par- 
ticular vice in living examples, I might be induced to shun them." After 
fugerem understand ea, (sc. vitia.) 

109 — 124. 109. AM ut mede vivat films. " What an evil life the son 
of Albius leads." — 110. Barms. The scholiast describes him as a man 
" vilisimai libidinis atque vitce." — 114. Treboni. Compare the remark of 
the scholiast. "Hie in adrdterio deprensus fuit." — 115. Sapiens. "A 
philosopher." It belongs to philosophers to explain the reason of things, 
and to show why one action is honest, and another base. The poet's 
father, of but mean rank, could not be supposed to be deeply acquainted 
with these matters. It was enough that he knew how to train up his 
son according to the institutions of earlier days, to teach him plain in- 
tegrity, and to preserve his reputation from stain and reproach. As he 
grew up he would be able to manage for himself. — 119. Duraverit. 
" Shall have strengthened." — 120. JVa&is sine cortice. A metaphor taken 
from swimming, in which learners, in their first attempts, make use of 
pieces of cork, to bear them up. — 122. Habes auctm-em, quo facias hoc. 
"Thou hast an authority for doing this." — 123. Unum ex judicibus selec- 
tis. The Judices Selecti were chosen in the city by the prastor, and in the 
provinces by the governors. (Compare Seneca de Benef. 3. 7.) They 
were taken from the most distinguished men of Senatorian or Equestrian 
rank, and to this circumstance the epithet selecti particularly refers. 
Their duties were in general, confined to criminal cases. — Objiciebat. 
" He presented to my view." — 124. An hoc. For utrum hoc. 



40U EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK 1. SATIRE V. 

126 — 143. 126. Jlvidos vicinum funus, ke. "As the funeral of a 
neighbour terrifies the sick w hen eager utter food." With avidos under- 
stand potus etciborum. — 127. i>ibi parcere. " To spare themselves," i. e 
to curb their appetites, and have a care for their health. — 129. Ex hoc 
" By the force of such culture as this." — 131. htinc. " From the num- 
ber of these." — 132. Liber amicus. " A candid friend." — 133. Consili- 
um proprium. "My own reflection." — 134. Porticus. "The public 
portico." The porticoes were structures of great beauty and magnifi- 
cence, and were used chiefly for walking in or riding under cover. — 135. 
.V<m belle. Understand fecit.— 133. J]gito. " I revolve."— 139. Jlludo 
clmrtis. " I amuse myself with writing." — Hoc. Alluding to his habit of fre- 

?uent writing, or versifying, — 140. Concedere. "To extend indulgence." 
n the 6ense of ignoscere. — 142. Nam multo plures sumus. " For we are 
a much stronger body than one would suppose." — Jlc veluli le, &c. 
Horace, observes Francis, knows not any better revenge against the en- 
emies of poetry, than to force them to become poets themselves. This 
pleasantry arises from the proselyting spirit of the Jews, who insinuated 
themselves into families; entered into the courts of justice j disturbed 
the judges ; and were always more successful in proportion as they 
were more impudent. Such is the character given them by St. Am- 
brose. — 143. In hanc concedere turbam. " To join this numerous party 
of ours." 



Satire 5. This little poem contains the account of a journey from 
Rome to Brundisium, which Horace performed in company with Mae- 
cenas, Virgil, Plotius, and Varius. Though travelling on affairs of 
state, their progress more resembled an excursion of pleasure, than a 
journey requiring the dispatch of plenipotentiaries. They took their 
own villas on the way, where they entertained each other in turn, and 
declined no amusement which tiny met with on the road. They must 
indeed have proceeded only one or two stages daily, for the distance was 
about 350 miles ; and according to those critics who have minutely 
traced their progress, and ascertained the resting places, the journey 
occupied twelve or fifteen days. The poet satirically and comically de- 
scribes the inconveniences encountered on the road, and all the ludicrous 
incidents which occurred. 

1 — 4. 1. Magna. This epithet, is here applied to the capital, as mark- 
ing the difference in size between it and Aricia, though, considered by 
itself, the latter was no inconsiderable place. — Jlricia. A city of La- 
tiuin, on the Appian way, a little to the west of Lanuvium, now la Ric- 
cia. — 2. Hospilio modico. "In a middling inn." — 3. FurumJIppl. Now 
Borgo Lungo, near Treponti. The term Forum was applied to places in 
the country where markets were held and justice administered. — 4. Dif- 
fertum nautis, &c. "Crammed with boatmen and knavish inn-keepers." 
The boatmen were found at this place in great numbers, because from 
hence it was usual to embark on a canal, which ran parallel to the Via 
Appia, and was called Decennovium, its length being nineteen miles. 

5 — 24. 5. Hoc iter ignavi divisimus, &c. " This part of our route, 
which, to more active travellers than ourselves, is the journey of a single 
day, we lazily took two to accomplish." The expression altius prcecmc- 
tis refers to the Roman custom of tucking up the toga in proportion to 
the degree-of activity that was required, and hence prozcinctus, like sue- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE V. 451 

ductus, comes to denote generally a person of active habits. — 7. Ventri 
indico bellum. " Declare war against my stomach," i. e. take no supper. 
— 8. Hand animo aequo. "'With impatience." — 11. Turn pueri naulis, &c. 
" Then our slaves began to abuse the boatmen, the boatmen our slaves." 
— 12. Hue appelle. " Come to here." This is the exclamation of one of 
the slaves to the men in the canal-boat. The moment the boat is brought 
to, a large number crowd on board, and then arises the second cry from 
the slave, bidding the boatman stop and take in no more, as he has al- 
ready three hundred on board. The round number is here used merely 
to denote a great crowd. — 13. JEs. "The fare." — Mvla. The mule 
to draw the canal-boat. — 14. Mali culices. " The troublesome gnats." 
— 15. Ut. "While in the mean time." — 16. Multa prolutus vappa. 
" Drenched with plenty of wretched wine." — 21. Cerebrosus. "An irri- 
table fellow." — 23. Doled. " Belabours." The literal import of this 
verb is, " to hew roughly," " to chip," &c. It is here used in an accep- 
tation frequently given to it by the Roman vulgar. — Quarta hora. The 
fourth hour from sunrise is here meant, answering to our ten o'clock. — 
24. Feronia. The grove and fountain of Feronia were on the Appian 
way, about three miles above Terracina or Anxur. 

25 — 32. 25. Repimus. This alludes to the slowness of their journey 
up hill to Tarracina.— 26. Impositam saxis late candentibus Jlnxur. — 
"Anxur perched on rocks conspicuous from afar." This city on the 
coast of Latium, was also called Tarracina. It stood on the ridge of a 
mountain, or rather, a collection of white and lofty rocks, at the foot of 
which the modern Tarracina is situated. — 29. Jlmicos soliti componere 
amicos. The " friends" here alluded to were Augustus and Antony. 
— 30. Nigra collyria. "Black salve." Lippus. " Being afflicted with 
sore eyes. — 32. M unguemfactus homo. " A man of the most polished 
manners." A metaphor taken from workers in marble, who try the 
smoothness of the marble, and the exactness of the joinings, by draw- 
ing the nail over them. We would say, in our own idiom, " a perfect 
gentleman." 

34 — 36. 34. Fundos. The town of Fundi, in Latium, was situated 
on the Appian way, a little to the north-east of Anxur. — Aufidio Lusco 
praetore. In this there is a double joke. First, in the title of Praetor 
being applied to a mere recorder of a petty town, whether assumed by 
himself, or foolishly given to him by the inhabitants ; and secondly, in 
the mode in which their departure from the place is announced, imitating 
the formal Roman way of marking events by consulships : " We leave 
Fundi during the prsetorship of Aufidius Luscus." — Libenter. "In 
high glee." — 35. Prcemia. " The magisterial insignia." — 36. Prcetex- 
lam. The toga pratexta was a white robe, bordered with purple, and 
used by the higher class of magistrates. — Latum clavum. A tunic, or 
vest, with two borders of purple, laid like a lace upon the middle or 
opening of it, down to the bottom, in such a way that, when the tunic 
was drawn close, the two purple borders joined and seemed to form a 
single broad one. If these borders were large, the tunic was called 
latus clavus, or tunica laticlavia, and was peculiar to senators, if they were 
narrow it was then named angvMus clavus, or tunica angusticlavia, and 
was peculiar to the knights or equites. — Prunxque batillwn. This ap- 
pears to have been a censer, or pan, containing coals of fire, and carried 
before the higher magistrates on solemn occasions, for the purpose of 
burning perfumes in honour of the gods, as the Romans were accus- 
tomed to perform no important act without a previous offering to the 



452 EXPLANATORY NOTES. -BOOK I. SATIRE V. 

gods of some kind or other. Luscus deems the arrival of Maecenas an 
occasion that calls for such a ceremony, and he foolishly assumes this 
badge of dignity among the rest. 

37 — 38. 37. Mamurrarum urbe. The allusion is to Formiae, now 
J\Iola di Gaetn, a short distance to the south-east of Fundi. According 
to the scholiast, Horace calls Formise the city of the Mamurra?, in allu- 
sion to Mamurra, a Roman senator of great wealth, who owned the 
larger part of the place. The scholiast, however, forgets to tell us, 
that the poet means by this appellation to indulge in a stroke of keen, 
though almost imperceptible, satire. Mamurra was indeed a native of 
Formiae, but of obscure origin. He served under Julius Caesar, in 
Gaul, as prafectus fabrorum, and rose so high in favour with him, that 
Caesar permitted him to enrich himself at the expense of the Gauls in 
any way he was able. Mamurra, in consequence, became, by acts of 
the greatest extortion, possessed of enormous riches, and returned to 
Rome with his ill-gotten wealth. Here he displayed so little modesty 
and reserve in the employment of his fortune, as to be the first Roman 
that encrusted his entire house, situate on the Ccelian hill, with marble. 
We have two epigrams of Catullus, in which he is severely handled. 
Horace, of course, would never bestow praise on such a man, neither 
on the other hand would he be openly severe on one whom Augustus 
favoured. His satire, therefore, is the keener as it is the more concealed, 
and the city of the venerable Lamian line, (Ode 3. 17.) is now called 
after a race of whom nothing was known. — Manemus. " We pass the 
night." In the sense of pemoctamur. — 38. Murena prabente domum, 
&c. The party supped at Capito's and slept at Murena's. The indi- 
vidual last mentioned was a brother of Terentia, the wife of Maecenas. 
He was subsequently put to death for plotting against Augustus. 

39 — 49. 39. Postcra lux oritur. An amusing imitation of the epic 
style. — 40. Plolius et Varius. These were the two to whom Augustus 
entrusted the correction of the iEneid after Virgil's death. — Sinuessce. 
Sinuessa was a Roman colony of some note, situate close to the sea on 
the coast of Latium, and founded, as is said, on the ruins of Sinope, an 
ancient Greek city. It lay below Minturnae and the mouth of the Liris, 
and was the last town of New Latium, having originally belonged to 
Campania. — 41. Candidiores. " More sincere." — 42. Devinctior. "More 
strongly attached." — 44. Sanus. " As long as 1 am in my right mind." — 
45. Campano Ponti. The bridge over the little river Savo, now Savone, 
is here meant. — 46. Parochi. "The commissaries." Before the consul- 
ship of Lucius Posthumius, the magistrates of Rome travelled at the 
Eublic charge, without being burthensome to the provinces. Afterwards, 
owever, it was provided by the Lex Julia, de Provinciis, that the towns 
through which any public functionary, or any individual employed in the 
business of the state passed, should supply him and his retinue with fire- 
wood, salt, hay, and straw, in other words with lodging and entertain- 
ment. Officers were appointed, called Parochi (napoxoi) whose business 
it was to see that these things were duly supplied. The name Parochus, 
when converted into its corresponding Latin form, will be Prctbitor, which 
occurs in Cicero de Off. 1. 15. — 47. Capua. Capua was once the capital 
city of Campania, and inferior only to Rome. — Tempore. "In good sea- 
son." The distance from their last starting place to Capua was only 
sixteen miles. Compare note on verse 45. — 48. Lusum. Understand 
pila. — 49. Orudis. " To those who are troubled with indigestion." In 
the term lippis he alludes to himself; in crudis, to Virgil. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE V. 453 

51 — 64 51. Caudi Cauponas. "The inns of Caudium." Caudmm 
was a town of the Samnites, and gave name to the celebrated defile 
(Fauces Caudince) where the Romans were compelled to pass under the 
yoKe. — 52. Pugnam. " The wordy war." — 53. Musa velim memores, &c. 
Another burlesque imitation of the Epic style. — 54. Contulerit lites. 
" Engaged in the conflict." — Messi clarum genus Osci. The construction 
is, Osci sunt clarum genus Messi. By the Osci are here meant the Cam- 
panians generally, who were notorious for their vices. Hence the satiri- 
cal allusion in the epithet clarum. — 55. Sarmenti domina exstat. " The 
mistress of Sarmentus still lives." He was therefore a slave, though his 
mistress probably was afraid of offending Mascenas, in whose retinue he 
at present was, by claiming him as her property. — 58. vlccipio. "'Tis even 
so, I grant." Messius jocosely admits the truth of the comparison, and 
shakes his head in imitation of a wild horse shaking its mane for the pur- 
pose of alarming a foe. On this, Sarmentus renews the attack. — 0, tua 
cornu, &c. Uttered by Sarmentus, and equivalent to " 0, quid faceres, 
si tibiin fronts non exseclum esset cornu?" The allusion is to a large 
wart which had been cut away from the left side of Messius's head. — 60. 
Cicatrix. The scar left after the removal of the wart. — 61. Setosain Icevi 
frontem oris. "The bristly surface of his left temple." — Selosam. Pur- 
posely used in place of hispidam. — 62. Campanum morbum. The disorder 
here alluded to was peculiar to Campania, and caused large warts to 
grow on the temples of the head and on the face. — 63. Pastorem saltaret 
uti Cyclopa. " To dance the part of the Cyclops-shepherd," i. e. to repre- 
sent, in dancing, the part of Polyphemus, and his awkward and laughable 
wooing of the nymph Galatea. The allusion is to the Roman panto- 
mimes, a species of dramatic exhibition, in which characters, either ludi- 
crous or grave, more commonly the former, were represented by gesticu- 
lation and dancing, without words. — 64. JViZ illi larva, &c. The raillery 
is here founded on the great size and horrible ugliness of Messius. His 
stature will save him the trouble of putting on high-heeled cothurni, (like 
those used in tragedy,) in order to represent the gigantic size of Polyphe- 
mus ; while the villainous gash on his temple will make him look so like 
the Cyclops, that there will be no necessity for his wearing a mask. 

65 — 68. 65. Donasset jamne catenam, &c. A laughable allusion to the 
slavery of Sarmentus. The Roman youth of good families, on attaining 
the age of 17, and assuming the manly gown^ were accustomed to con- 
secrate their bullae, or the little gold boss which they wore depending 
from their necks, to the Lares, or household deities. In like manner, 
young girls, when they had left the years of childhood, consecrated their 
dolls to the same. Messius makes a ludicrous perversion of this custom 
in the case of Sarmentus, and asks him whether, when he left the state 
of servitude in which he had so recently been, he took care to offer up his 
fetters to the Lares in accordance with his vow. As only the worst 
slaves were chained, the ridicule is the more severe. From an epigram 
in Martial (3. 29.) it appears, that slaves, when freed, consecrated their 
fetters to Saturn, in allusion to the absence of slavery, and the equality 
of condition, which prevailed in the golden age. — 66. Scriba. Sarmentus 
would seem to have held this situation in the retinue of Mascenas. — Cur 
unquam fugisset ? Messius supposes him to have run away, on account 
of not receiving sufficient food.— 68. Una/arris libra. By the laws of 
the twelve Tables, a slave was allowed a pound of com a day. 

71 — 81. 71. Beneventum. This place was situate about ten miles be- 
yond Caudium, on the Appian way — Ubi sedulus hospes, &c. The con- 



454 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK. I. SATIRE V. 

etruction is as follows : ubi sedulus liospes, dum versat macros turdos m 
igne, paene arsit, (i. e. paene combustus est. ) — 73. Nam vaga per veter- 
em, &.c. Another imitation of the epic style, but more elegant and pleas- 
ing than those which have gone before. There being no chimney, and 
the bustling landlord having made a larger iirc than usual, the Haines 
caught the rafters of the building. On the want of chimneys among the 
ancients, consult note on Ode 4. 1 1. 1 1.— 75. Avidos. " Hungry."' Un- 
derstand edendi. — 76. Rapere. Equivalent to raptim auferre. — 77. Ex 
Mo. " After leaving this place." — Notos. Apulia Mas the native pro- 
vince of Horace. — 78. Qjuostorret Atabulus. "Which the wind Atabulus 
parches." The Atabulus was a northerly wind, cold and parching, 
which frequently blew in Apulia. Etymologists deduce the name from 
art) and /Ja'XXui. — 79. Erepsemus. For crepsissemus. — Trivici. Trivicum 
was a *mall place among the mountains separating Samnium from Apu- 
lia. The vehicles that contained the party were compelled to turn off to 
a farm [villa) in its neighbourhood, as the town itself was difficult of ac- 
cess on account of its mountainous position. — 80. Lacrymoso. " That 
brought tears into our eyes." — 81. Udos cum foliis, &c. A proof, OS 
Wieland remarks, that the place where they lodged was nothing more 
than a farm-house, and that the owner was unaccustomed to receive 
guests of this description. 

S6 — 91. 86. Rapimur. "We are whirled along." — 87. Mansuri. 
" To take up our quarters for the night." — Quod versu dicere non est, &c. 
" Which it is not possible indeed to name in verse, though it is a very 
easy matter to describe it by external marks." This town, with the in 
tractable name, was EquuB Tuticus, or, as some give it, Equotuticum. 
It was situate on the Appian way, but its precise position has given rise 
to much debate among topographers. — 88. Venil. — "Is sold." — 89. Ul- 
tra. The bread is so good, that "the wary traveller" is accustomed to 
carry it along with him, " from this place, farther on." Ultra is here 
equivalent to ulterius indc. — 91. Nam Canu si lapidosus. "For that of 
Canusium is gritty." With lapidosus supply pants. Canusium was si- 
tuate on the right bank of the Aufidus, or Ofanlo, and about twelve miles 
from its mouth. — Aqucc non ditior urna: "Though here the pitcher is 
no better supplied with water than at the former place," i. e. Canusium 
labours under the same scarcity of good water as Equus Tuticus. 

94 — 97. 94. Rubos. Rubi, now Ruvo, lay to the south-east of Ca- 
nusium. The distance between the two places is given in the itinerary 
of Antoninus as twenty-three miles, whence the expression longum iter in 
our text. — 95. Factum corruptius. " Rendered worse than usual." — 96. 
Pejor. "Worse than the day before." — 97. Bari. Barium was a town 
of some note, on the coast of Apulia, below the mouth of the Aufidus. 
The epithet piscosi is given to it in the text on account of its extensive 
fishery. The modern name is Bari. — Gnalia. Gnatia, or Egnatia, was 
situate on the coast of Apulia, below Barium. It communicated its 
name to the consular way that followed the coast from Canusium to 
Brundisium. The ruins of this place are still apparent near the Torre 
d'Agnazzo and the town of Monopoli. Horace gives the name which the 
town bore in the common language of the day, and this also occurs in 
the Tab. Peuting. The more correct form, however, is Egnatia. — Lym- 
-phis iratis extructa. "Built amid the anger of the waters " The mean- 
ing of the poet here is somewhat uncertain, as is evident from the scho- 
liast giving us our choice of three different explanations. Thus, he re- 
marks : " Fel quia egei aquis, vel quod eas salsas habet et amaras, vd quod 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE VI. 455 

m pede mentis sita est; ei idcirco videntur aqua, irasci, cum torrentes de 
mmitibus impetu magno decurrentes scepe magnas urbis partes diruunt." 
The first of these, the scarcity of good water, appears to us the simplest, 
and it is adopted as the true one by Mannert. Perhaps, however, the 
poet has purposely used this expression, in order that it may be suscep- 
tible of a double meaning, and that one of these may refer to the silly 
superstition, or rather moon-struck madness of the inhabitants, to which 
he refers immediately after. 

99 — 104. 99. Dumjlamma sine turaliquescere, Sec. Pliny informs us, 
that a certain stone was shown at Egnatia, which was said to possess 
the property of setting fire to wood that was placed upon it. {H. JV. 2. 
107.) It was this prodigy, no doubt, which afforded so much amuse- 
ment to Horace, and from the expression limine sacro, the stone in ques- 
tion would appear to have been placed in the entrance of a temple, serv- 
ing for an altar. — 100. Judcsus Apella. " The Jew Apella." Scaliger 
is undoubtedly right, in considering Apella a mere proper name of some 
well-known and superstitious Jew of the day. — 101. Stamque deos didici, 
&c. " For I have learnt, that the gods pass their time free from all con- 
cern about the affairs of men." Horace here acknowledges his belief 
in one of the most remarkable doctrines of the Epicurean school. — 103. 
Tristes. "Disquieting themselves about us." — 104. Brundisium. The 
most ancient and celebrated town on the coast of Apulia, now BrindisL 



Satire 6. This poem, addressed to Maecenas, is chiefly valuable 
for the information it contains concerning the life of our author, parti- 
cularly his early education, and the circumstances attending his first in- 
troduction to that minister. He also descants on the virtue and fruga- 
lity of his own life — he mentions candidly some of his foibles, and de- 
scribes his table, equipage and amusements. Here every particular is 
interesting. "We behold him, though a courtier, simple in his pleasures ; 
and in his temper and his manners, honest, warm, and candid, as the 
old Auruncan. (Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. 3. p. 251.) 

1 — 10. 1. Non,quia, Maze cnus, Sue. The order of construction is as 
follows : Mcecenas, non, ut plerique solent, suspendis adunco naso ignotos, 
ut me natum libertino patre, quia nemo Lydorum, quidquid Lydorum inco- 
luit Etruscosjin.es, est generosior te, nee quod maternus atque paternus avus 
fuit tibi qui olhn imperitarent magnis legionibus. "Maecenas, thou dost 
not, as most are wont to do, regard with a sneer persons of lowly birth, 
as for instance me the son of a freedman, because no one of the Lydi- 
ans that, ever settled in the Etrurian territories is of nobler origin than 
thou, nor because thou hast maternal and paternal ancestors, who in 
former days commanded powerful armies." The idea intended to be 
conveyed is simply this: Though of the noblest origin, O Maecenas, 
thou dost not, as most others do, regard high extraction as carrying with 
it a right to sneer at the low-born. — Lydorum quidquid Etruscos, &c. It 
was the popular belief that Etruria had been colonized from Lydia. 
Horace means, by the language of the text, to describe the origin of 
Maecenas as equalling, if not surpassing, in nobility, that of any indi- 
vidual in the whole Etrurian nation. — 4. Legionibus. The term legio is 
here put, Romano more, for exercitus. — 5. Naso suspendis adunco. This, 
in a literal translation, is precisely equivalent to our vulgar phrase, "to 
turn up the nose at one." Thus, " thou dost not, as most are wont to 



4J0 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOE I. SATIRE VI. 

do, turn up thy nose at persons of lowly birth." — 8. Dum ingenuvs. " Pro- 
vided he be a man of worth." There is a singular beauty in the use of 
the term ingenuus on the present occasion. By ingenui, among the Ro- 
mans, were meant those who were born of parents that had always 
been free. The poet, however, here applies the epithet to a higher kind 
of freedom, that of the mind and of the heart ; a freedom from all mo- 
ral contamination, and a nobility of thought and action, in respect of 
which the nobly-born are sometimes even the vilest of slaves. — 9. Tulli. 
Servius Tullius. — Ignobile regnum. An allusion to the servile origin of 
this monarch. The idea which the poet intends to convey is this, that, 
before the reign of Tullius, many individuals, as meanly born as him- 
self, had often obtained honours equally as high, and led a life equally 
as praiseworthy. — 10. Nullis majoribus ortos. " Sprung from no long 
line of ancestors," i. e. of obscure birth. Nullis is here /equivalent in 
spirit to ignobilibus. 

12 — 17. 12. Lccvinum. We have here an example, on the other hand, 
of a man descended from illustrious ancestors, but so degraded by vices 
as to be held in universal contempt. — Valeri genus, unde, &c. "A de- 
scendant of that Valerius, by whom," &c. Unde is here for a quo. The 
allusion is to the celebrated Valerius Poplicola, who was elected to the 
consulship A. U. C. 244, in the stead of Collatinus, and became the col- 
league of Brutus in that office. From Valerius were descended the fa- 
milies of the Laevini, Corvini, Messalie, Catuli, &c. — 13. Unius assis non 
unquam, &c. " Has never been valued more highly than a single as, 
even when the populace themselves, with whose decision in matters of 
this kind thou art well acquainted, estimate his merits as the judge , the 
populace, who often," &c — 15. Quo nosti. By attraction, in imitation 
of the Greek idiom, for quern nosti, and equivalent in effect to qvem qualis 
judex sit nosti. According to the poet's idea, Loevinus must be worthless 
enough, if the populace even think him so, since they most commonly 
are blinded to a person's defects of character by the brilliancy of his ex- 
traction. — 17. Qui stupet in titvlis et itnaginibus. " Who are lost in stupid 
admiration of titles and of images," i. e. of along line of titled ancestors. 
An allusion to the Roman jusiinaginum. 

18 — 19. 18. Vos. The idea intended to De conveyed is this : If then 
the very populace themselves pay but little regard to the nobility of such 
a man as La?vinus, " how ought persons like thee to act, who art far, far, 
removed in sentiment from the vulgar herd?" The answer is not given by 
the poet, but maybe easily supplied: They should act even as thou dost": 
they should disregard, not in one, but in every instance, the adventitious 
circumstances of birth and fortune, and they should look only to integ- 
rity, to an upright and an honest heart. — 19. Namqueesto, &c. The poet 
here gives a slight turn to his subject in a somewhat new direction. The 
connection in the train of ideas appears to be as follows : Such then 
being the true principle of action, and such the light in which merit, 
however humble its origin, is regarded by the wise and good, let those 
unto whom titled ancestry is denied repine not at their condition, but 
remain contented with what they have. For suppose," (Namquo esto) 
the people should even be unjust towards a candidate of lowly birth, or 
a censor like Appius should eject an individual from the senate because 
his father had not always been free, what great harm is suffered by this ? 
Is he not rather treated as he should be? And ought he not to have 
been contented with his previous lot, with the approbation of those whose 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE VI. 457 

good opinion was his best reward, without going on an idle chase after 
vain and disquieting honours ? 

20 — 23. 20. Decionovo. "To a new man like Decius." The term 
Decio is here used as a species of appellative. So, in the preceding line, 
Lizvino must be rendered " to a Laevinus." The allusion in the words Decio 
novo is to P. Decius Mus, {Livy, 8. 9.) who, like Cicero, was the first of 
his family that attained to a curule office. — Censor Appius. "A censor 
like Appius." The poet alludes to Appius Claudius Pulcher, who was 
censor A. U. C. 702, and ejected many individuals from the senate be- 
cause they were the sons of freedmen. — 22. Velmsrito. "Deservedly 
would this even be done." — In propria pelle. " In my own skin," i. e. in 
my own proper sphere. — 23. Sedfidgente trahit, &c. "But glory, thou 
wilt say, leads all men captive at the wheels of her glittering car." An 
allusion, beautifully figurative, to the triumphal chariot of a conqueror. 
The poet supposes some one to urge, in extenuation of the conduct which 
he has just been condemning, the strong and mastering influence that a 
thirst for distinction exercises upon all men, whatever their origin or con- 
dition in life. To this he replies in the next line, " Quo tibi, Tttli, &c. by 
showing how little real pleasure attends the elevation of the low-born, 
amid the sneers and frowns of the very populace themselves, as well as 
of those into whose circle they have thus intruded. 

24 — 38. 24. Quo tibi, Tilli. "Of what advantage has it been to thee, 
Tillius." Quo is here the old form for quoi, i. e. cui, and quo tibi is equiva- 
lent to cidnam commodo tibifuit, or quid tibi profuit. — According to the 
scholiast, Tillius (or, as he writes the name, Tullius) was removed from 
the senate by Caesar, for being a partisan of Pompey's. After the assas- 
sination of Caesar, however, he regained his senatorian rank, and was 
made a military tribune. He was an individual of low origin. — 25. Sumere 
depositum clavum. "To resume the laticlave which had been put off by 
thee." The laticlave (latus clavus,) was one of the badges of a senator. 
— Tribuno. A Gnecism, for tribunum. — 23. Privato qum minor esset. 
" Which would have been less to thee, hadst thou remained in a private 
station," i. e. which thou wouldst have escaped, hadst thou remained in 
the obscurity to which thou wast forced to return. — 27. Nam ut quisque 
insanus, &c. " For the moment any vain and foolish man covers his leg 
up to the middle with the black buskins." Among the badges of senato- 
rian rank were black buskins (here called nigra pelles, literally, "black 
skins,") reaching up to the middle of the leg, with the letter C in silver on 
the top of the foot. Hence calceos mutare, "to become a senator," (Cic. 
Phil. 13. 13.) — 30. JJtsi qui azgrotet, &c. "Just as if one labour under 
the same disorder that Barrus does, so as to desire to be thought a hand- 
some man." As regards Barrus, consult note on Satire, 1. 4. 110. — 34. 
Sic qui promittit, &c. An allusion to the form of the oath taken by the 
magistrates when about to enter on the duties of their office. — 35. Imperi- 
um. "The integrity of the empire." — 36. Inhonestus. "Dishonoured." 
— 38. Tune Syri, Damce, &c. "Darest thou, the son of a Syrus, a Dama, 
or a Dionysius, hurl Roman citizens down from the Tarpeian rock, or de- 
liver them ever to the executioner Cadmus ?" Syrus, Dama and Dionysius 
are the names of slaves, used here as appellatives, and the meaning of the 
passage is, "darest thou, the son of a slave," &c. The poet supposes 
some individual of the people to be here addressing a tribune of the com- 
mons, who had risen from the lowest origin to that office of magistracy, by 
virtue of which he presided over the execution of condemned male- 
factors. 



453 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. SATIRE VI. 

40 — 44. 40. At Nonius collega, &c. The tribune is here supposed 
to answer, and to urge in his defence, that his colleague Novius is of 
humbler origin than himself. To which the poet replies, by demanding 
of him whether hefuncies himself on that account a Paulusor a Messa- 
la. — Gradu post me sedet mho. " Sits one row behind me," i. e. is inferi- 
or to me in rank. The reference is to the fourteen rows of seats, set 
apart for the Equestrian order at the public spectacles. The tribune of 
the commons, to whom the poet here alludes, as well as his colleague 
Novius, having obtained Equestrian rank in consequence of possessing 
the requisite fortune, had seats, of course, among these fourteen rows. 
It would seem, however, that, in occupying, these seats, those of better 
origin always preceded those who were inferior to them in this respect. 
—41. Namque est ille, &c. " For he is what my father was," i. e. he is a 
freedman, whereas I am the son of a freedman, and consequently one 
degree his superior. — Hoc tibi Paullus, &c. " Dost thou fancy thyself, 
on this account, a Paulhis and a Messala ?" Aemilus Paullus and 
Messala Corvinus were two distinguished noblemen of the day, and the 
question here put is equivalent to this : Dost thou fancy to thyself, that, 
on this account, thou art deserving of being compared with men of the 
highest rank and the most ancient families? — 42. At hie, si plostra du- 
cenla, &c. The individual, with whom the tribune is supposed to be en- 
gaged in argument, here replies to the excuse which the latter has ad- 
vnneeil. Well, suppose thy colleague Novius has been advanced to 
office, although a freedman, did not his merits obtain this station for 
him ? Has he not a voice loud enough to drown the noise of two hundred 
waggons and three funerals meeting in the forum ? It is this that pleases 
US in the man, and therefore we have made him a tribune. — All this, it 
will be readily perceived, is full of the most bitter and cutting irony 
against poor Novius, (under which character the poet evidently alludes 
to some personage of the day), since his whole merit appears to have 
consisted in the strength of his lungs, and the people had advanced to the 
tribuneshipa man who was only fit to be a public cryer. — 43. Triafunera. 
The funerals of the Romans were always accompanied with music, and 
for this purpose performers of various kinds, trumpeters, cornetters, flute- 
players, &c. were employed. — Magna sonabit cor/iua, &c. This must be 
I in such a way, as to express the foolish admiration ofthe person 
who utters it " "Will send forth a mighty voice, so as to drown the 
notes ofthe horns and the trumpets." — 44. Saltern. There is something 
extremely amusing in the self-importance which this saltern denotes. — 
Tenet. In the sense of delectat. 

45 — 64. 45. Nunc ad me redeo, &c. The digression, from which the 
poet now returns, commenced at the 23d line. — 46. Rodunt. "Carp 
at." — 48. Quod mild pareret, &c. The poet alludes to the command 
which he once held in the army of Brutus and Cassius. In each Ro- 
man legion there were six military tribunes, who commanded under the 
general each in his turn, usually month about. In battle a tribune seems 
to have had charge of ten centuries, or about a thousand men. — 49. 
Dissimile Iwc illi est. "This latter case is different frcm the former." 
Hoc refers to his having obtained the office of military tribune; illi re- 
lates to the circumstance of his being a constant guest at the table ot 
Maecenas (convictor.) — Quia non ut forsit honorem, &c. " Because, 
though any one may perhaps justly envy me the military advancement 
that I once enjoyed, he cannot with the same justice also envy me the 
possession of thy friendship, especially as thou art careful to take unto 
thee those alone that are worthy of it, and are far removed from the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE VI. 459 

baseness of adulation." The idea here involved is this, that however 
justly we may envy others the possession of what fortune bestows, we 
cannot with the same propriety envy them the enjoyment of what they 
obtain by their own deserts. — Forsit. For forsitan. — 51. Dignos. Un- 
derstand" amicitia tua. — 52. Hoc. " On this account." — 55. Varius. 
Consult notes on Satire, 1. 5. 40. and Ode 1. 6. 1. — 5G. Singultim pauca 
locutus. "Having stammered out a few words." — 57. hifa,7is pudor. 
" Childish bashfulness." — 58. Circumvcctari. Divided by tmesis. — 59. 
Satureiano caballo. " On a Satureian steed." Saturium was a spot in 
the Tarentine territory, frequently alluded to by the ancient writers. It 
was famed for its fertility, and for its breed of horses. — Rura. " My 
fields." Equivalent to fundos or agros. — 64. Non patre prceclaro. "Not 
by reason of illustrious parentage, but by purity of life and of principles." 

65 — 75. 65. Mqui si vitiis, &c. The order of construction is, Mqui 
si mea natura est mendosa mediocribus et paucis vitiis. Mqui must be here 
rendered, "Now." — 68. Sordes. " Sordidness." — Mala lustra. "A fre- 
quenting of the haunts of impurity." Lustra literally denotes the dens 
or haunts of wild beasts, hence it is figuratively applied to the abodes 
of profligacy and vice. — 69. Purus et insons, &c. The order of con- 
struction is : Si vivo purus et insons, (ut me collaudem), et earns amicis. — ■ 
71. Macro pauper agello. " Though in narrow circumstances, and the 
owner of a meagre farm." — 72. In Flavi ludum. " To the school of 
Flavius." Flavius was a schoolmaster at Venusia, the poet's native 
place. Magni quo pueri, &c. There is much of keen satire in the epi- 
thets magni and magnis as applied to the sons of these centurions and 
their parents. The poor parent of the bard sends his humble offspring 
to Rome, the great centurions send their great sons to the mean and petty 
school of the provincial pedagogue. — 74. Laevo suspensi locidos, &c. 
" With their bags of counters and their cyphering tables hanging on 
the left arm." The term tabula is here applied to the 1 able for reckoning 
and for performing various operations in arithmetic, used by the Roman 
boys and others. The computations were carried on, for the most part, 
by means of counters : sometimes, as with us, characters were em- 
ployed. In the latter case, the table was covered with sand or dust. 
The more common name is abacus. — 75. Octonis referentes Idibus aera. 
" Bringing with them, from home, calculations of interest, for a given 
sum, to the day of the Ides." These are sums, as we would call them, 
which the boys receive from their master to take home and work there. 
The answers they are to bring with them to school the next morning. 
The sums given are computations of interest; to ascertain, for example, 
how much a certain amount will yield, within a certain time, and at a 
certain rate of interest. The period up to which they are to calculate 
is fixed, it will be perceived, for the ides of the ensuing month ; in other 
words, the calculations on which they are employed have reference to 
monthly rates of interest. This was in accordance with Roman usage, 
by which the interest of money was paid either on the Calends or the 
Ides, of every month. As regards the epithet octonis, it may be re- 
marked, that it is here applied to the Ides, because in every month eight 
days intervened between the Nones and them. As our language affords 
no corresponding epithet, we have regarded it, with the best commenta- 
tors, as merely expletive, and have left it, in consequence, untranslated. 

75 — 31. 75. Est ausus. The allusion is to the boldness of his parent 
in giving him an education, the expense of which could have but ill ac- 
corded with his narrow finances. — 77. Artes. " Accomplishments." — ■ 

42 



460 EXPLANATORY N0TE9. BOOK I. SATIRE VI. 

Doceat. " Causes to be taught." Equivalent to docendas curd. — 79. In 
magno ut populo. "Although in the midst of a crowded populace." 
Amid the crowd of a large city, little attention is comparatively paid to 
the appearance of others. The poet, however, states, that so imposing 
was the attire and revenue which his good father gave him, as to excite 
attention even amid the dense population that crowded the streets of the 
Roman capital. — .ivita ex re. "From some hereditary estate." The 
poet means, that he appeared to the view of men, not as the son of a 
freedman, but as if he had been the heir of some wealthy family. — 80. 
Illos. Equivalent to tarn magnos. — 81. lpsemihi custos, &c. Among the 
Romans, each youth of good liimily had his pecdagogus, or slave, to ac- 
company him to and from school, and discharge the duties of protector 
and private instructor. The public teachers were called doctores or prce- 
ccptorts. The anxious father of Horace, however, will not trust him 
even with one of these, but himself accompanies his son. 

85 — 98. 85. Sibine vitio quis verier et dim. "Lest anyone might, in 
after days, allege it as a reproach against him." — 86. Coactor. Com- 
mentators are divided in relation to the employment pursued at Rome by 
the father of Horace. In the life of the poet which is ascribed to Sueto- 
nius, his parent is styled, according to the common reading, exactionum 
coactor, "a tax-gatherer," or "collector of imposts." Gesner, however, 
ted as an emendation, exauctioimm coaclor, "an officer attendant 
upon sales at auction, who collected the purchase-money." This correc- 
tion has been generally adopted. — 87. Parvas merceries sequerer. " I should 
come to follow an employment attended with petty gains," i. e. I should 
be compelled to follow a mean employment, and one utterly at variance with 
the education I had received. — Jld hoc. " On this account." — 89. Sanum. 
" As long as I am in my right senses." — Eoque non, ut magna, &.C " And 
therefore, I will not seek to excuse myself as a large number do, who 
declare it to be owing to no fault on their part that they have not freeborn 
and illustrious parents." — 93. Et vox et ratio. " Both my language and 
sentiments." — 95. Jltque alios legere ad jastum, &c. "And to select any 
other parents whatever, as might suit our pride." — 96. Cplaret sihi quis- 
que, &.c. " Each one might choose for himself what parents he pleased ; 
contented with mine, I should feel no inclination to take unto myself such 
as might even be graced with the fasces and the curule chair," i. e. with 
the badges of the liighest magistracy. — 98. Sanus. "A man of sense." 

101 — 106. 101. Jltque salutandi plures. "And a crowd of morning 
visitors must be received." Literally, "a greater number must be sa- 
luted." The allusion is to the complimentary visits paid by clients and 
others to the rich and powerful. These were made in the morning; and 
the poet's meaning is, that, as the offspring of powerful parents, he would 
have to receive a large number of them. — 104. Petorrita. The Petorritum, 
which is here taken generally to denote any carriage or vehicle, was pro- 
perly a Gallic carriage or waggon, and drawn by mules. — 104. Curtomulo. 
The scholiast explains this by mulo cauda curta (" on my bobtailed mule.") 
It may be very reasonably doubted, however, whether this interpretation 
is correct. At all events, the epithet curto, if such is its true meaning in 
the present passage, has very little, as far as regards force or felicity of 
expression, to recommend it. We would incline to the opinion of those 
who make curto here refer to the diminutive size of the animal in question : 
so that the meaning of curto mulo will be, "on my little mule." — 106. 
Mantica. Corresponding to the modern " wallet," or " portmanteau." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. SATIRE VI. 461 

107 — 114. 107. Sordes. " The sordid meanness." — 108. Tiburle via. 
The Tiburtine way led from the Esquiline gate of the capital to the town 
of Tibur. The prastor is travelling along it to reach his villa at the latter 
place, and the meanness, to which the poet alludes, is his carrying along 
with him certain things which will save him the expense of stopping at 
inns by the way. — Oenophorumque. " And a vessel for holding wine." — 
113. Fallacem. " The resort of cheating impostors." According to the 
scholiast, there was always a large number of impostors, fortune-tellers, 
astrologers, and cheats of every description collected at the Circus, 
who imposed upon the ignorant and unwary part of the spectators. — 
Circum. The allusion is to the Circus Maximus, situate in the ele- 
venth region of Rome, in the valley between the Aventine and Pala 
tine hills. — Vespertinumque forum. The forum, at evening, must have 
been the scene of many curious adventures, as it was the common place 
of resort for the idlers among the lower orders. Horace esteems it one 
of the peculiar pleasures of his humble situation, as a private individual, 
that he can mingle unnoticed with the crowds of the populace, amuse 
himself with their various modes of diversion, and stroll wherever he 
pleases through the lanes and bye-ways of the capitol. This, one of 
higher rank could not do, without being noticed and insulted. — 114. Di- 
vinis. "The fortune-tellers." 

115 — 118. 115. Lagani "Pancakes." — 116. Pueris tribus. Name- 
ly, a cook, a structoi; or slave who laid the table, and brought on the 
viands, and a pocillator, or cup-bearer. — Lapis albas. The scholiast 
Acron explains this by "mensa marmorea," but Fea shows very conclu- 
sively, that the reference here is to a species of marble stand, with holes 
cut in for the purpose of receiving drinking-cups and other vessels of 
this kind, which could not stand of themselves, by reason of their spheri- 
cal bottoms. — 117. Pocula cum cyatho duo. One of these cups held wa- 
ter, the other wine, and the cyathus would be used for mixing the con- 
tents of the two. — Echinus. This term is commonly, though erroneously, 
supposed to denote here a vessel in which the cups were washed. The 
true meaning, however, is "a salt cellar." — 118. Guttus. " A cruet." 
A small vessel, with a narrow neck, from which the liquor which it con- 
tained issued by drops, (guttatbn), or else in very small quantities. It 
was chiefly used in sacred rites, and is therefore classed here with the 
patera, or bowl for offering libations. — Campana supellex. " Campanian 
ware." The pottery of Campania was always held in high estimation. 

119 — 120. 119. Non sollicitus, mihi quod eras, &c. Disquieted by no 
necessity of rising early the next morning, and visiting the statue of 
Marsyas." Literally, " not disturbed in mind because I must rise," &c. 
The poet means that he has no law-suit, nor any business whatever 
connected with the courts, that will disturb his slumbers over night, and 
require his attendance early in the morning. — 120. Marsya. A statue 
of Marsyas, the satyr, who contended with Apollo for the prize in mu- 
sic, and was flayed alive by the conqueror, stood in the Roman forum, 
in front of the rostra. The story of Marsyas presents a remarkable in- 
stance of well-merited punishment inflicted on reckless presumption, 
and as this feeling is nearly allied to, if not actually identified with, that 
arrogant and ungovernable spirit which formed the besetting sin of the 
ancient democracies, we need not wonder that, in many of the cities of 
antiquity, it was customary to erect a groupe of Apollo and Marsyas 
in the vicinity of their courts of justice, both to indicate the punishment 
which such conduct merited, and to denote the omnipotence of the law. 



4G2 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE Til. 

—Qui se vulUmferre negat, &c. The younger Novius, as the scholiast 
informs us, was accustomed to carry on his shameful usuries near the 
statue of Marsyas, and as the satyr was represented with one hand raised 
up, (compare Servius ad Virg. Aen. 4. 58.,) Horace wittily supposes, 
that this was done by him to show his aversion to such beings as No- 
vius, and to drive them, as it were, from his presence. 

122—131. 122. Ad quartam jaceo. "I lie ahed until the fourth 
hour." The fourth hour with the Romans answered to our ten o'clock 
in the morning. — Lecto aut scripto quod me, &c. " After having read or 
written something, that may serve to occupy my thoughts agreeably 
when in a musing mood." Lecto and scripto are ablatives, eo being un- 
derstood. Some commentators make them verbs, and contracted forms 
for lectito and scriptito. — 124. Non quo fraudatis, &c. "Not with such 
as the filthy Natta is, and which he has stolen from his lamps." — Or 
more literally, " not with such as the filthy Natta is, his lamps being 
cheated of their oil." With fraudatis understand oleo. — Natta. Un- 
derstand ungitur. — 126. Fugio campum lusumque trigonem. " I abandon 
the Campus Martius, and the game of ball." The game of ball was 
called pila trigonalis, or trigon, when the parties who played it were 
placed in a triangle, (rptywvov,) and tossed it from one to another: he 
who first let it come to the ground was the loser. — 127. Pransus non 
avide, &c. " Having taken a moderate dinner, sufficient to prevent my 
passing the day with an empty stomach." The mid-day meal of the 
Romans was generally very slight, after riches had increased among 
them, and the principal repast was the cana, or supper. The meaning 
of the poet is, that he took little food during the day, but waited until 
evening. — 123. Domesticus otior. "I idle away the rest of my time at 
home." — 130. His me consolor vichirum suavius. " I comfort myself with 
the hope that I will lead a happier existence by such rules as these," 
&c. — 131. Qucestor. This term is purposely used in place of either 
Consul, or Proztor, as containing a satirical allusion to the dusstors of 
the day, and to their rapacity in accumulating wealth, which character- 
ised so many of them as frequently to render a quaestorian descent quite 
other than a subject of boasting. 



Satire 7. A law-suit is here mentioned for the purpose of introdu- 
cing a very indifferent witticism of one of the litigants. The case was 
pleaded before Marcus Brutus, who at the time was Governor of Asia 
Minor, and was making a progress through his province for the purpose 
of distributing justice. The parties being named Persius and Rupilius 
Rex, the former, during the hearing of the cause, asked Brutus, why, as 
it was the practice of his family to destroy kings, he did not cut the throat 
of his opponent ? "A miserable clench," says Dryden, "in my opinion, 
for Horace to record. I have heard honest Mr. Swan make many a 
better, and yet have had the grace to hold my countenance." At this 
distance of time, the story has certainly lost all its zest ; but the faces 
and gestures of the parties, and the impudence of addressing this piece 
of folly to such a man as Brutus, may have diverted the audience, and 
made an impression on Horace, who was perhaps present, as he at that 
time followed the fortunes of the conspirator. (Dunlop^ Rom. Lit. vol. 3. 
p. 251. 

1 — 5. 1. Proscripti Regis Rupuli, &c. " In what way the mongrel 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE VII. 463 

Pcrsius took vengeance on the filth and venom of outlawed Rupilius, 
surnamed the King, is known, I imagine, to every blear-eyed person and 
barber about town." According to the scholiast, P. Rupilius Rex was 
a native of Praeneste, who, having been proscribed by Octavianus (Au- 
gustus), then a triumvir, fled to the army of Brutus, and became a fel- 
low-soldier of the poet. Jealous, however, of the military advancement 
which the latter had obtained, Rupilius reproached him with the mean- 
ness of his origin, and Horace therefore retaliates in the present satire. 
— 2. Hybrida. The term hybrida properly denotes a creature begotten 
between animals of different species ; when applied to human beings, 
among the Romans, it designated a person whose parents were of differ- 
ent countries, or one of whose parents was a slave. In the present in- 
stance, Persius is called hybrida, because his father was a Greek, and 
his mother a Roman. — 3. Lippis. The disorder of the eyes termed lip- 
pitudo appears to have been very common at Rome. The offices of the 
physicians, therefore, would always contain many patients labouring 
under this complaint, and who, while waiting for their turn to come 
under the hands of the practitioner, would amuse themselves, of course, 
with the news and gossip of the day. — 4. Permagna negotia habebat. 
"Was carrying on very extensive monied transactions." The allusion 
is here, not to trade, as the scholiast and many commentators pretend, 
but to the loaning of money. — 5. Clazomenis. Clazomenaa was a city ot 
Asia Minor, in the region of Ionia. It lay to the west of Smyrna, on 
the Sinus Smyrnasus, and, on account of its advantageous situation for 
commerce, received many favours from Alexander the Great, and sub- 
sequently from the Romans. 

6 — 8. 6. Darus homo, &c. "A fellow of harsh and stubborn temper, 
and who in insolent importunity could surpass even the King." As re- 
gards the peculiar meaning of odium in this passage, compare Ruhnken, ad 
Terent. Pkortn. 5. 6. 9. Ernesti, Clav. Cic. s. v. — 7. Jideo sermonis amari, 
&c. " Of so bitter a tongue, as far to outstrip the Sisennae, the Barri." 
The terms Sissnnas and Barros are here taken as appellatives, and the 
reference is to persons in general, as infamous for the virulence of their 
defamatory railings as Sisenna and Barrus. With regard to the lat- 
ter of these two individuals, consult note on Satire 1. 4. 110. Dacier 
thinks that the other is the same with Cornelius Sisenna, of whom 
Dio Cassius (54. 27.) relates a very discreditable anecdote. — 8. Equis 
prcecurrerct albis. A proverbial form of expression and equivalent to 
longe superaret. Various explanations are assigned for this peculiar 
mode of speech, the most common of which is, that white horses were 
thought by the ancients to be the swiftest. Compare Erasmus, (Chil. 1. cent. 
4. 21. p. 138. ed. Steph.) " Ubi quern aliis quapiam in re longe superiorem 
significabant, longoque anteire intervallo, eum albis equis prozcedere dicebant; 
vcl, quod antiquities equi albi meliores haberentur; vel, quod victores in tri- 
umpho albis equis vectari soleant; vel, quod albi equi fortunatiores et 
ausplcatiores esse credantur, ut ad equestre certamen referamus mzia- 
phoramP 

9—17. 9. Postquam nil inter utrumque conveniL "When no recon- 
ciliation could be effected between them." Or, more literally: "after 
nothing was agreed upon between the two." — 10. Hoc etenim sunt omnes, 
&c. " For all, between whom adverse war breaks out, are, by this fixed 
law of our nature, troublesome to one another in proportion as they are 
valiant." — 12. Hectora Priamiden, &c. The comparison here drawn is ex- 
tremely amusing, and is intended to give an air of seriousness and im- 



464 EXPLANATORY NOTES. SATIRE VII. 

portance to this mighty combat. 'Tis death alone, observes the poet, that 
can terminate the differences between brave men, such as Hector and 
Achilles, Persius and Rupilius. Whereas, it" two faint-hearted men en- 
gage, or two persons not equally matched in courage and in strength, one 
of them is always sure to give up. — 1 3. Ira fait capilxdis, &c. The order 
of construction is, fait tarn capitalis Ira id ultima mors solum divider et 
illos. " There was so deadly a feud, that the utter destruction of one of 
the two could alone terminate their difference." Literally, " could alone 
separate them." — 15. Duo si discordia vexet inertes. "Whereas, if dis- 
cord set two faint-hearted men in action." — 16. Diomedi cum Lycio Glauco. 
Alluding to the exchange of armour between Glaucus and Diomede. — 
17. Pigrior. "The weaker of the two." 

18 — 19. 18. Bruto Praetore tenente, &c. Brutus was Praetor when he 
took part in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Asia formed, in fact, a 
proconsular province, that is, its governor was to be a man of consular 
rank. In the confusion, however, which succeeded the death of Caesar, 
this rule, with many others of a similar nature, was not of course accu- 
rately complied with ; and the Roman senate, who, amid all their weak- 
ness and timidity, still feltconvinced thattheir only hope of restoring the 
republic rested with Brutus, exerted themselves to strengthen his hands 
by provincial appointments. He received, therefore, first the govern- 
ment of Crete, asPropnetor, afterwards that of Macedonia, and, A. U. 
C. 711, the province of Asia, apart of which, however, he had first to re- 
duce to his authority by force of arms. It is evident, therefore, that Hor- 
ace uses the term Prcttore, in the text, in the sense of "Governor," (pro- 
praetor e would have been unmanageable inverse,) and with the more pro- 
priety in the present instance, as Brutus never had obtained a higher rank 
in the republic than the Praetorian. — 19. Rupili et Perdparpugnat. "The 
pair, Rupilius and Persius, enter the lists." Our idiom rejects the geni- 
tive ("the pair of Rupilius and Persius,") which in the original conveys 
an air of peculiar elegance to the clause, being based upon the expression 
par gladiatorum. — Uti non composili melius cum Bitho Bacchius. " With 
so much spirit, that the gladiators Bacchius and Bithus were not more 
equally matched." 

21 — 26. 21. Jicres. "Eager to bring their cause to a hearing." — 
Magnum spcctaculum uterque. " Each a very diverting spectacle." — 22. 
Ridetur ab omni conventu. " He is laughed at by the whole assembly." 
Conventus here included all who were present at the hearing of the case. 
— 23. Cohortem. "His retinue." — 24. SolemJlsiae. As illumining the 
whole province of Asia by the splendour of his authority and name. — 25. 
Canem ilium, invisum agricolis, &c. " That Rupilius had come like that 
hound, the star hateful to husbandmen." The allusion is to the dog-star. 
Consult note on Ode 1 . 17. 17. — 26. Ruebat,flumen ut hibemum, &c. "He 
poured along, as a wintry flood is wont, in places whither the axe of the 
woodman seldom comes." Persius, choking with rage while he pours 
forth his torrent of angry invective against Itupilius, is compared to a 
stream swollen by the winter rains, and choked in its course by the 
thick underwood, and other impediments of the kind which it encoun- 
ters. 

28 — 30. 28. Turn Prcenesthms salso, &c. " Then the native of Prse- 
neste, like a stubborn and unconquered vine-dresser, to whom the pas- 
senger hath often been obliged to yield, when calling him cuckow with 
roaring voice, retorts upon bis opponent, as he flowed along in his cut- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE VIII. 465 

tin? and copious style, invectives drawn, as it were, from the vulgar 
raillery of the vineyard itself." The vines in Italy were trimmed and 
pruned early in the spring. If any vine-dresser, therefore, attended to 
this branch of his duties late in the season, (the period when the cuckow 
begins to put forth his note,) he was sure of encountering the raillery of 
passengers, for his indolence and loss of time, and it was customary 
with them, in allusion to the lateness of the season, in which his labours 
had only just commenced, to salute his ears with the cry of cucullus, 
("cuckow," i. e. in the vulgar dialect of our own days, "lazy lubber.") 
On this a fierce war of invective and abuse invariably ensued, and the 
more extensive vocabulary of the vine-dressers generally ensured them 
the victory. Horace compares Rupilius therefore to a vine-dresser who 
had been in many such conflicts, and had always come off conqueror; 
in other words, he pays a high compliment to his unrivalled powers of 
abuse.— 29. Arbuslo. The Italian vines were trained along trees. 
Hence the use of arbustum to denote a vineyard. — 30. Vindemiator. 
This term properly denotes one who gathers the grapes for the vintage. 
It is here used, however, in the sense of putator. In metrical reading, 
vindemiator must be pronounced vindem-yator. 

32 — 35. 32. Gracus. Compare note on verse 2. — Italo aceto. The 
invectives and abuse uttered by Rupilius, are here designated by the 
appellation of "Italian vinegar." — 34. Qui reges consueris tollere. Bru- 
tus had aided in slaying Caesar only, but Junius Brutus, one of his an- 
cestors, had driven Tarquin from Rome. Persius, however, was not, 
we may well suppose, very deeply read in Roman history, and he there- 
fore ludicrously confounds the two, making the individual whom he 
addresses to have removed out of the way both Caesar and Tarquin! — 
35. Operum hoc mihi crede tuorum est. " This is one, believe me, of the 
deeds that peculiarly belong to thee," i. e. this, trust me, is a work for 
thee alone, the hereditary foe of kings, to accomplish. We may either 
understand unum after operum tuorum, or, what is far preferable, make 
the genitive here an imitation at once of the Greek idiom. 



Satire 8. The design of this satire is to ridicule the superstitions of 
the Romans. Priapus is introduced, describing the incantations per- 
formed by Canidia, in a garden on IheEsquiline Hill, which he protected 
from thieves. But he could not guard it from the intrusion of Canidia 
and a sister-hag, who resorted there for the celebration of their unhallowed 



1 — 11. 1. Inutile lignum. The wood of the fig-tree was very little 
used on account of its b littleness. Hence the Greek proverb, atrip uvkivos, 
" A fig-tree man," to denote one that is of little firmness or real value. — 
2. Incertus, scamnum faceretne Priapum. Horace here represents the 
carpenter (faber lignarius) as at a loss whether to make a bench or a 
Priapus out of the wood in question. This of course is a mere witticism 
on the part of the poet, at the expense of the strange deity to whom he 
alludes. — 3. Furum aviumque maxima fm-mido. A wooden figure of 
Priapus was generally set up in gardens and orchards. He was usually 
represented with a crown of reeds or of garden herbs, and holding in his 
right hand a wooden club, or else scythe, whilst his body terminated in a 
shapeless trunk. The Roman poets appear, in general, to have enter- 
tained little, if any, respect for him ; and with the vulgar he degenerated 



466 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. SATIRE VIII. 

into a mere scare-crow, whose only employment seemed to be to drive 
away the birds and thieves.— 4. Dexlra. Alluding to the club, or scythe, 
with which his right hand was armed. — 6. Arundo. Referring to his 
crown of reeds, the rattling of which served to terrify the birds. — 7. 
Novis liortis. By the " new gardens," are here meant those of Maecenas 
on the Esquiline Hill, which were laid out on what had been previously 
a common burying-place for the lower orders, for slaves and for ruined 
spendthrifts.-^. Prints. Before the gardens of Maecenas were laid out. 
— i&ngusHs cjccta cellis. " Tossed out of their narrow cells." The term 
ejecta forcibly denotes the unfeeling manner in which the corpses of slaves 
were disposed of. By cellis are meant their little cells, or dormitories. — 
9. Conservus. — Compare the remark of Acron ; " Conservi locabant ct 
scpeliebant alios servos." — Vili in area. The dead bodies of slaves and of 
the poor were thrown into boxes or coffins roughly made, and thus carried 
forth for interment The corpses of the higher "orders and the wealthy 
were conveyed on litters (lecticce) to the funeral pile. — 10. Commune st- 
pulcrum. " A common burial-place." — 11. Panlolabo scurrce, Nomenta- 
noque nepoli. " For sucli beings as the buffoon Pantolabus and the spend- 
thrift Nomentanus." Both Pantolabus and Nomentanus were still alive, 
as appears from Sal. 2. 1. 19. and the poet, with cutting satire, makes 
their names grace, as appellatives, two entire classes of men. As regards 
Pantolabus, the scholiast tells us his true name was Mallius Verna, and 
that he received the appellation of Pantolabus from his habit of indiscri- 
minate borrowing. With respect to Nomentanus, consult note on Sat. 
1. 1. 101. 



12 — 19. 12. Mille pedes in fronte, &.c. "Here a small stone pillar 
marked out for it a thousand feet of ground in front, three hundred to- 
wards the fields; (with the injunction added) that this place of burial 
should not descend to the heirs of the estate." It was the custom, when 
ground was set apart by any individual, as in the present instance, for a 
place of interment, to erect upon it a small square pillar of stone, with an 
inscription on it, designating the limits of the piece of land to be appropri- 
ated lor this purpose, and declaring that it never was to return to the heirs 
of the estate. The cippus alluded to in the text marked out a thousand 
feet for the breadth, (in fronte, i. e. along the road,) and three hundred for 
the depth, (in agrum, i. e. extending inward towards the fields,) and it 
had also the common injunction respecting the land's not descending to 
the heirs of the estate. — 15. Agger e in aprico. " On an open terrace." — 
Modo. " A short time ago." — Tristes. Referring to the passers by, and 
the feelings that came upon them as this place of interment met their 
view. — 17. Quum. " While, in the mean time." Quum is here equiva- 
lent to cum interea, and Priapus alludes to the period which has interven- 
ed, between the first formation of the gardens and the present moment in 
which he is represented as speaking. — Fera. " Birds of prey." They 
are called Esquilinm allies in Epode 5. 100. — Sueta. Equivalent to qua 
solebant. — 19. Quantum. Understand venefica sunt. — Carminibus quae, 
versant, &c. "Who turn people's brains by their incantations and 
drugs." 

21 — 29. 21. Vaga Luna. The epithet vaga, " wandering," is merely 
applied to the moon in allusion to her course through the heavens. — 23. 
Nigra succinctam palla. "With her sable robe tucked up." — 25. Cum 
Sagana majore. " With the elder Sagana." The scholiast makes this 
Sagana to have been a freedwoman of Pomponius, a Roman senator 
proscribed by the triumvirate, and to have had a sister younger than 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. SATIRE VIII. 467 

herself ; whence the epithet major (sc. natu) here applied to her. Do- 
ring thinks that Sagana may have been termed major by Horace, as 
being older than Canidia. — 26. Scalpere terram unguibus, &c. The 
witches are here lepresented as digging a trench with their nails, and 
tearing the victim in pieces with their teeth. This, of course, is invent- 
ed by the p.oet, in order to give a more ridiculous appearance to the whole 
scene. — 27. Pullam agnam. Black victims were always offered to the 
gods of the lower world. — 28. hide. This may either refer to the trench 
or the blood. The latter appears to us more correct, and hide will 
therefore be equivalent to hac re, " by means of this." Nothing was 
supposed to be more delicious to the souls of the departed than blood. 
They would not foretell any future events, nor answer any questions, 
until they had tasted of it. — 29. Manes. The Dei Manes of course are 
meant. 

30 — 39. 30. Lanea el effigies erat, &c. There were two images, one of 
larger size, and made of wool, the other smaller and composed of wax. 
The former represented Canidia, the latter the intended victim of the 
charm, and this one stood in a suppliant posture before the other, as if 
about to receive some signal punishment. The general rule in magic 
rites seems to have been, to make the images of those who were to be 
benefited, of wool, and to employ wax in the case of those who were to 
be operated upon. The wool was deemed invulnerable, whereas the 
wax was either pierced with needles, or was made to melt away in 
magic fires. — 31. Qmcb pcenis compesceret inferiorem. " Which was to 
keep the smaller one within bounds by certain punishments," i. e. was 
to keep the individual, whom the image represented, from wandering in 
his affections, by the infliction of certain severe punishments. — 32. Ser- 
vilibus modis. " Like a slave," i. e. by the severest inflictions of suffer- 
ing. — 35. Lunam rubentem. " The bright moon." — 36. Magna sepulckra. 
" The high-raised graves." Referring to the earth piled up in the form 
of a mound on some of the graves. — 39. Julius, etfragilis Pediatia, &c. 
The poet seizes the present opportunity of lashing some of the aban- 
doned characters of the day. The first of these, Julius, was a man of 
infamous morals ; the second was not more pure, and, to mark his ex- 
treme corruption, a female name is given him, his true one having been 
Pediatius. 

- 41 — 43. 41. Umbrae. The means evoked by the incantations of 
the sorceress. — Resonarent triste et acutum. The spirits of the dead are 
here represented, in accordance with the popular belief, as uttering a 
plaintive and shrill sound when speaking. — 42. Lupibarbam. Pliay, (H. 
•AT. 23. 10.) informs us, that the snout of a wolf (rostrum lupi) was thought 
to possess the greatest virtue in repelling enchantments, and was there- 
fore fixed up over the doors of farm-houses. The modern belief respect- 
ing the efficacy of the horse-shoe, is akin to this. On the present occa- 
sion, the hags bury a wolf's beard in order to guard their own enchant- 
ments against any counter-charm. — 43. Cerea. To be pronounced, in 
metrical reading, cer-ya. Compare Sat. 2. 2. 21. where a similar con. 
traction occurs in the word ostrea. — 46. Ficus. " I, being made of the 
wood of a fig-tree." The wood of which his image was made, not being 
perfectly dry, was split by the heat, and the noise produced by this scared 
away the witches.— -48. Canidiae dentes, &c. A laughable scene ensues. 
In the hurried flight of the two hags, Canidia's false teeth drop out, and 
Sagana loses her wig. — Mtum caliendrum. The caliendrum was a kind 
of wig or cap of false hair.- 



4CS EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE IX. 

Satire 9. Horace describes the unavailing efforts which he empioya 
to get rid of an importunate fellow — a fop and poetaster, who tires and 
overwhelms him with his loquacity. Sometimes he stops short, and 
then walks fast ; but all his endeavours are vain to shake off the in- 
truder. A few of the touches of this finished portrait, which is sur- 
Eassed by none in delicacy of colouring and accuracy of delineation, 
ave been taken from the characters of Theophrastus. 

1 — 10. I. Ibam forte via Sacra. " I chanced to be strolling along 
the Sacred way." — 2. Nescio quid meditans nugarum. " Musing on 
some trifle or other." — 4. Qwitf agis, dulcissime rerum? "My dearest 
of friends, in the whole world, how goes it?" — 5. Suaviter ut nunc est, 
&c. " Pretty well, at present, I reply, and thou hast my best wishes 
for thy welfare." The expression cupio omnia qua vis (literally, "I de- 
sire all things to come to pass as thou wishest") was a form employed 
in taking leave of a person. Hence it is used by the poet on the pre- 
sent occasion, in turning away from the individual who accosts him. — 
6. Num quid vis ? occupo. " Dost thou want any thing of me? I ask ; 
before he has time to begin a regular conversation." The phrase num 
quid vis? was another customary mode of taking leave, and is of fre- 
quent occurrence in the comic writers. According to Donatus, it was 
used among the Romans, in order that they might not seem to take 
their leave too abruptly. Our modern phrase, " hast thou any thing 
farther with me?" is precisely analogous. — Occupo. The peculiar force 
of this verb, in the present instance, must be noted. The poet means, 
that he gets the start of the troublesome individual with whom he has 
come in contact, and proceeds to bid him good bye before the latter has 
time to make a regular onset and commence talking at him. — 7. Noris 
nos, inquit ; docti sumus. " Yes, replies he, I want~thee to become ac- 
quainted with me: I am a man of letters." Complete the ellipsis as 
follows, velim ut nos noris. — 9. Hoc. " On this account." — Misere disce- 
dere quarens. " Wanting sadly to get away from him." — 9. Ire. The 
historical infinitive, as it is termed, used in the sense of the imperfect, 
ibam. So also dicere for dicebam. — 10. Puero. The " servant boy" who 
accompanied him. 

11 — 21. 11. te, Bolane, &c. " Ah ! Bolanus, murmured I to myself, 
happy in thy irritable temper!" According to the scholiast, the individu- 
al here alluded to was a man of irritable and fiery temper, who had a sum- 
mary mode of getting rid of such acquaintances, by telling them to their 
faces what he thought of them. — 15. Sednil agis, usque tenebo. "But 'tis 
all in vain. I'm determined to stick close by thee." This is meant for a bon 
mot by the poet's persecutor. — 16. Persequar. "I'll follow thee wherever 
thou goest." The true meaning of this verb, however, is best expressed 
by the vulgar phrase, "I'll follow thee through thick and thin." — Hinc 
quo 7iunc iter est tibi ? "Whither does thy route lie now from this quar- 
ter?" — 18. Cub at. "He is confined to his bed." — Casaris hortos. The 
reference is to the gardens of Julius Cajsar, which he left by his will to 
the Roman people. (Sueton. Cces. 83.) They were situate on the right 
bank of the Tiber. — 19. Piger. " In a lazy mood." — Usque sequar te. " I 
will accompany thee as far." — 20. Ut iniquce mentis asellus. "Like a 
surly young ass." — 21. Quum gravius dorso subiit onus. The construc- 
tion is, quum subiit (i. e. Ut sub) gravius onus dorso. "When a heavier 
load than ordinary is put upon his back." Literally, " when he goes un- 
der a heavier load than ordinary with his back." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. SATIRE IX. 469 

22 — 28. 22. Viscwn. There were two brothers named Viscus, of 
senatorian rank, and sons of Vibins Viscus, a Roman knight, who stood 
high in favour with Augustus. They were both distinguished by their 
literary talents, and both are named by Horace in the 10th satire of this 
book, among those persons whose good opinion was to him a source of 
gratification. From the present passage it would appear, that, at this 
time, he was particularly intimate with one of the two. — 24. Quis membra 
movere mollius ? &c. i( Who can dance more gracefully? My singing 
too, even Hermogenes would envy." Consult note on Sat. 1. 6. 1. — 
26. Interpellandi locus hie erat. " An opportunity here offered itself for 
interrupting him." The poorbard, driven to despair by the garrulity of 
his new acquaintance, and finding it impossible to shake him off", seeks 
some little relief under his misery by endeavouring to change the con- 
versation, and introduce the subject of bis neighbour's extraction. He 
asks him, therefore, if he has a mother living, if he has any relations, 
who are interested in his welfare.— 27. Queis le salvo est opus ? " Who 
are interested in thy welfare ?" i. e. who are wrapped up in the safety 
and preservation of so valuable a man as thou. The poet, driven to ex- 
tremities, indulges in a sneer at his persecutor, but the armour of the 
other is proof against the blow. — 28. Omnes composui. " I have laid 
them all at rest," i. e. I have buried them all. The talkative fellow 
wishes to intimate to Horace, how able he is to serve the bard as well 
as all other friends, from the circumstance of his being free from the 
claims of any relatives on his time and attention. — Felices ! From this 
to cetas, in the 34th line, inclusive, is supposed to be spoken aside by the 
poet. Nothing can be more amusing than to picture to ourselves the 
poorbard, moving along with drooping head, and revolving in mind his 
gloomy destiny. The prediction, of course, to which he alludes, is a 
mere fiction, and got up expressly for the occasion. 

29—37. 29. Sabella. Consult notes on Epode 17. 28. and Ode 3. 6. 
38. — 30. Mota divina anus urna. " After the old creature had divined my 
destinies by shaking her magic urn." The divination here alluded to, 
was performed in the following manner : A number of letters and entire 
words were thrown into an urn and shaken together. When they were 
all well mixed they were thrown out, and, from the arrangement thus 
brought about by chance, the witch formed her answers respecting 
the future fortunes of the person that consulted her. — 31. Hunc. 
Referring to the boy Horace. — Nee hosticus auferet ensis. The poet es- 
caped from the battle-field. (Ode 2. 7. 10.) — 32. Laterimi dolor. "Pleu- 
risy." — 33. Quando consumet cunque. A tmesis for quandocunque consu- 
met. " Shall one day or other make away with." — 35. Ventum erat ad 
Vestcc. Understand iemplum. This temple would seem to have stood 
between the Via Nova and that continuation or branch of the Via Sacra 
which issued from the western angle of the Forum. — 36. Et casu tunc 
respondere vadato debebat. " And it so happened, that he had to answer in 
court to a person who had held him to bail." Vadari aliquemis to compel 
any one to give bail for his appearance in court on a certain day. Hence 
vadatus, the participle of this deponent, becomes equivalent as in the 
present case, to petitor, or plaintiff — With regard to the time of day 
mentioned by the poet, (quarta jam parte diei praterita) it maybe remark- 
ed, that, as the Roman day was divided into twelve hours, the fourth 
part of the day would correspond to the third hour, or nine o'clock in the 
morning with us. At this hour the courts of law opened, according to 
Martial ( <; exercet raucos tertia causidicos." Ep. 4. 8.) and the companion 
of Horace, therefore, when he reached the temple of Vesta, was after 



470 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I, SATIRE IX. 

the time when he ought to have been present in court. — 37. Quod nife- 
cisset, perdere litem. " And if he did not do this, he would lose his cause." 
Perdert is governed by debebat understood. According to the rule of the 
Roman law, if the defendant was not in court when the case came on, 
he was said deserere vadinwn'utm, and the praetor put the plaintiff in pos- 
session of his effects. The present case, however, would seem to have 
been one, in which ihe defendant had bound himself to pay a certain 
sum, equal to the amount in controversy, if he forfeited his recognisance. 
As he did not appear at the time stipulated, judgment went against 
him by default ; and hence a new action arises on the recognisance. To 
compel his attendance at this new suit, the plaintiff goes in quest of 
him, and, on finding, drags him to court. Compare note on verse 76. 

33 — 44. 38. Si me amas. This must not be read si m'amas, but si 
me aims: in other words, the long vowel in me parts with one of its 
short component vowels before the initial vowel of amas, and retains the 
other. Paulum hie ades. " Help me here a little." Jldesse, in the legal 
phraseology of the Romans, was equivalent to patrocinari. It is here 
used in this sense. — 39. Stare. This term, like adesse in the preceding 
line, is used here in a legal sense, and is equivalent to advocati parks 
r tan re. Hence the reply made by Horace is as follows: "May I 
die, if I am either able to act the part of an advocate, or have any ac- 
quaintance whatever with the laws of the state." — Novi. The peculiar 
propriety of this term on the present occasion is worthy of notice. 
Noscere is to be acquainted with anything as an object of perception, 
and the poet therefore wishes to convey the idea, that he is so great a 
stranger to the laws as not to know even their very form and language. 
— II. Rem. "My suit." — J\Je, sodes. "Me, I beg." Sodes is con- 
traded for si audes. — 42. TJt. In the sense of siquidem or quandoquidem. 
" Since." — 43. JMozcenas quomodo tecum. "How is Maecenas with thee?" 
i. e. on what footing art thou with Maecenas? — 44. Hicrepetit. "He 
The troublesome fellow now begins to unfold the mo- 
tive which had prompted him to hang so long on the skirts of the poor 
bard ; the desire, namely, of an introduction through him to Maecenas. 
— Paucorum hotntrium et mentis bene sance, &c. " He is one that has but 
few intimates, and in this he shows his good sense. No man has made 
a happier use of the favours of fortune." The poet, . asily divining the 
object of his persecutor, does not give a direct answer to his question, 
but puts him off with such a reply as may crush at once all his hopes. 
The idea intended to be conveyed by the expression JWmo dexterius for- 
tuna est vsus, is simply this, that Maecenas enjoys the gifts of fortune 
with moderation, and as they should be enjoyed, and that his abode is 
neither the dwelling of parasites and flatterers on the one hand, nor of 
the mere tools and instruments of pleasure on the other. 

46 — 64. 46. T-osset quiferre secundas. "One who could play the se- 
cond part." Understand partes. The allusion is a figurative one to the 
practice of the ancient Greek stage. — 47. Hunc hominem. Pointing to 
himself. — Tradere. "Introduce." — Dispeream ni summosses omnes. "May 
I be utterly undone, If thou wouldst not supplant in a moment every 
rival." The pluperfect summosses (for summovisses) carries with it here 
the idea of rapid performance. — 43. Non isto vivitur illic, &c. "We do 
not live there in the way that thou supposest." Isto marks strong con- 
tempt. The poet, finding his antagonist determined not take a hint, 
however broad it may be, now deals openly and plainly with him. — 49. 
Domus hac nee purior idla est, &c. "JXo house is marked by more purity 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE IX. 471 

of principle than this, nor is freer from these evils." By mala are here 
meant jealousies and rivalships, with their attendant evils. — 50. Nil mi 
officii inquam. "It gives me, I tell thee, no umbrage."— 52. Jltqui sic 
habet. " And yet it is even as I say." — 53. Illi. Alluding to Maecenas. 
— 54. Velis tantummodo ; qua tua virtus, &c. Bitter Irony. "Thou hast 
only to entertain the wish ; such is thy merit, thou wilt carry every thing 
before thee." The ellipsis in qua tua virtus must be supplied as follows : 
ea virtule, qua tua virtus est. — 55. Eoque. " And for that very reason," 
L e. and because he is well aware of his own yielding temper. An 
amusing piece of irony, and well calculated to provoke a smile from Mae- 
cenas, when the passage met his view. — 58. Hand mihi deero, &c. A 
laughable picture. The garrulous man, completely misconstruing the 
poet's ironical advice, already, in imagination, triumphs over every obsta- 
cle, and makes his way like a conqueror. — 58. Tempora quceram. "1 
will watch my opportunities." — 59. Triviis. Trivium properly denotes 
a spot where three roads meet (rpioios) ; here, however, it is taken in a 
gsneral sense, for any place of public resort. — Deducam. " I will escort 
him home." This was regarded as a mark of honour, and was always 
paid to distinguished individuals. — 61. Fuscus Arislius. The same *o 
whom the 22d Ode of the 1st Book, and the 10th Epistle of the 1st Book, 
are inscribed. He was a grammarian, a poet and an orator, and the in- 
timate friend of Horace. — 62. Pulchre. In familiar language equivalent 
to bene, and used in this sense particularly by the comic writers, as ku\S;, 
and KdWiov among the Greeks. — 64. Lentissima brachia. "His arms, 
which seemed devoid of the least feeling." — Male salsus, &c. " With 
cruel pleasantry, he laughed and pretended not to understand me." 

67 — 77. 67. Certenescio quid, &c. A short dialogue here ensues be- 
tween the bard and Aristius Fuscus. — 69. Hodie tricesima sabbata, &c 
" To-day is the thirtieth sabbath, dost thou wish to offend the circumcised 
Jews ?" The ancient scholiasts, as well as the modern commentators, 
are divided in opinion with regard to what is here denominated "the thir- 
tieth sabbath." Some refer it to the Jewish passover, which commenced 
on the thirtieth sabbath of their year. It is better perhaps to adopt the 
opinion of Scaliger (de Emend. Temp. 3. p. 309.) and Selden (de I. JV*. 3. 
15.) and understand by tricesima sabbata the thirtieth day of the lunar 
month, in part at least kept sacred by the Jews. — Nulla mi : :i, inquam Rel- 
ligio est. "I have no religious scruples on that head, replied I." — 71. At 
mi ; sum paulo infirmior, &c. " But I have ; I am a little weaker, in that 
respect, than thou art, I am one of the multitude." — 73. Nigrum. In the 
Sense of infaustum. — Surrexe. For surrexisse. — Improbus. "The wicked 
Togue." Alluding to Fuscus. — 74. Sub cultro. The poet pleasantly 
Compares himself to a victim about to suffer, as it were, "under the knife" 
of the sacriricer. The garrulous man is going to talk him to death. — Casu 
venit obvius, &c. " As good luck would have it, his adversary meets him." 
By adversarius is meant the opposite party in the law-suit. — 76. Licet 
antistari? " Wilt thou be a witness to the arrest?" According to the 
rules of the Roman law, a plaintiff had the right of ordering his opponent 
to go with him before the praetor. If he refused, the prosecutor took some 
one present to witness, by saying licet antistari ? If the person consented, 
he showed his acquiescence by offering the tip of his ear, (auriculam oppc- 
nebat,) which the prosecutor touched, and the latter might, drag the de- 
fendant to court by force in any way, even by the neck, according to the 
law of the twelve tables. As regards the peculiar circumstances wliich 
warranted the arrest in the present instance, compare note on verse 37. of 
the present Satire. — 77. Auriculam. The ancients believed that the seat 
43 



472 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I. SATIRE X. 

of the memory was in the tip of the ear, and hence their custom of touch- 
ing it, in order to remind another of a thing, or for the purpose of calling 
him to witness any circumstance or occurrence. 



Satire 10. In this piece, which is entirely critical, Horace supports 
an opinion which he had formerly pronounced, respecting the satires of 
Lucilius, and which had given offence to the numerous admirers of that 
ancient bard. 

1. Litcili. The first eight verses of this Satire are printed in a different 
type from the rest, because it is uncertain whether they were composed 
by Horace or not. — Catone. The allusion is to Valerius Cato, a gram- 
marian and poet. He lost his patrimony at an early age, and, in con- 
sequence, turned his attention to literary pursuits. Horace here de- 
scribes him as preparing to amend the ill- wrought verses of Lucilius. 

4. Illo. Understand equite. Who this grammarian of equestrian 
rank was, is unknown. 

1 — 14. 1. Nempeincoviposito, &c. " I did indeed say that the verses 
of Lucilius ran not smoothly along." Compare Sat. 1. 4. 8. where Lu- 
cilius is described as being " durus componere versus. — 2. Tarn inepte. 
" To so foolish a degree." — 3. Quod sale multo urbem defricuit. " For 
having lashed the town with abundant humour." — 4. Charta eadem. 
" In the same piece," i. e. in the same satire. — 6. Laberl. Laberius was 
a Roman knight of respectable family and character, who occasionally 
amused himself with the composition of what were called Mimes. — 
These were a species of drama, to which mimetic gestures of very kind, 
except dancing, were essential, as also the exhibition of grotesque cha- 
racters which had often no prototypes in real life. The titles and a few 
fragments of forty-three of the Mimes of Laberius, are still extant; 
but, excepting the prologue, these remains are too inconsiderable and 
detached to enable us to judge of their subject or merits. Horace con- 
demns, in the present passage, an admiration of the Mimes of this 
writer, but Horace does not appear to have been an infallible judge of 
true poetic excellence. He evidently attached more importance to cor- 
rectness and terseness of style, than to originality of genius or fertility 
of invention. Probably, too, the freedom of the prologue, and other 
passages of his dramas, contributed to draw down the disapprobation 
of the Augustan critic. — 8. Et eat quaedam tamen, &c. " Though there 
is a certain kind of merit even in this," i. e. in exciting the laughter of 
an audience. — 9. Neu se impediat verbis, &c. " And may not embarass 
itself by a multitude of words, that only serve to load the wearied ears." 
— 11. Et sermone opus est, &c. "There is need too of a style at one 
time grave, at another playful ; now assuming the character of an orator 
or a poet, at times that of a refined and polished rallier, who curbs the 
force of his pleasantry and purposely weakens it." — 14. Ridiculum acri 
fortius et melius, &c. " Ridicule often decides matters of importance 
more effectually, and in a better manner, than severity of satire." This 
serves as an explanatory comment on what precedes, viz. " parcentis 
viribus," &c. 

16 — 19. 16. Illi, scripta quibus, &c. "The construction is Illi viri, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE X. 473 

quibus viris prisca Comoedia scripta est. " The writers of trie Old Com- 
edy." Consult note on Sat. 1. 4. 2. — 17. Hoc stabant. " Pleased in 
this." In like manner, a play which pleased from beginning to end was 
said, by the ancients, "stare." — Pukher Hermogenes. "The smooth- 
faced Hermogenes." This appears aimed at the effeminate habits ofthe 
man. The Hermogenes here alluded to is the same with the singer 
whose death is mentioned in the commencement of the second satire. 
We must bear in mind that these productions of Horace are not arran- 
ged in the order of time. — 18. Simius. The poet either means, by this 
contemptuous appellation, to designate some performer ofthe day, who 
made himself ridiculous by his ape-like imitation of Hermogenes ; or 
else some individual of a dwarfish and deformed person. — 19. Nil pra- 
ter Calvum, &c. " Who is skilled in nothing but singing the composi- 
tions of Calvus and Catullus." — Calvum. The allusion is to C. Licini- 
us Calvus, who was equally distinguished as an orator and a poet. He 
is classed by Ovid among the licentious writers, and it is to this charac- 
ter of his writings that Horace here seems to allude. — Catullum. The 
celebrated Catullus, well known as an elegant though most licentious 
poet 

20 — 23. SO. At magnum fecit, &c. One of the admirers of Lucilius 
is here introduced, who urges, as a decided proof of his high merit, the 
intermixture of Greek with Latin words. The poet's reply is given in the 
following line. — 21. seri sludiorum. "Ye late learned," i. e. ye who 
are but little advanced in the paths of learning, to which your attention 
has only at a late period been directed. Seri studiorum means properly 
those who begin not their studies until at a late period of life. As they 
never, in general, arrive at any great degree of perfection, so the pains 
they are forced to beat, in order to master the easiest subjects, make 
them apt to admire trifles, such as Greek mixed with Latin, for example, 
m the writings of Lucilius. — Quine putetis. "How can you think." — 
22. Rhodio Pitholeonti. Compare the explanation of the scholiast. 
" Dicitur Pitholton epigrammata ridicida (i. e. inepta) scripsisse, in quibus 
Grceca verba mixta erant cum Latinis." — 23. Contigii. To complete the 
sentence understand facere.—Al senno lingua concinnus, &c. The ad- 
mirer of Lucilius replies to the bard. "But a style elegantly composed 
of both tongues, is, on that veiy account, the more pleasing ; as when 
Falernian wine is mixed with Chian." Nota Falerni is here used for 
vinum Falernum, from the Roman custom of marking their amphorae and 
other wine vessels, with the names of the consuls, in order to designate 
the year when the wine was put in, and consequently mark its age. 

25 — 30. 25. Quum versus facias, &c. At the beginning of this sen- 
tence, supply the words Utrum tunc tantum. The poet here puts a ques- 
tion to his antagonist, well calculated to expose the absurdity ofthe re- 
mark which the latter has just made. He demands of him, whether he 
intends to confine this mixed phraseology, which so strongly excites his 
admiration, to the composition of verse merely (utrum tunc tantivm quum 
versus facias) ; or whether he is to carry it with him into other fields of 
exertion, to the pleadings of the bar, for example, and is to use, in the 
management of some important case, a jargon like that ofthe double- 
tongued Canusian, while other advocates are striving to defend their 
clients in a style marked by purity of language. — 26. Petilli. An allu- 
sion to the story of Petiliius Capitolinus. Consult note on Sat. 1. 4. 
94. — 27. Patriceque palrisque. — "Of country and parent," i. e. of thy 
native tongue, and of the father who taught it thee.— Latine quum 



474 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE X. 

Pedius causas exsudet Publicola, &c. "While Pedius Publicola and 
Corvinus are pleading their causes with elaborate care in the Latin 
tongue," i. e. strive, by every means in their power, to prevent the ad- 
mission of foreign words into their oral style. The individuals here 
alluded to were two distinguished lawyers of the day. — 30. Canusini 
more bilinguis. " After the manner of a double-tongued Canusian." 
The inhabitants of Canusium spoke a mixed dialect, made up of Oscan 
and Greek. 

31 — 39. 31. Natus mare cilra. " Born on this side the water," i. e. 
in Italy, not in Greece. — 32. Veluit me. "Forbade me so to do," i. e. 
to write Greek verses. Horace is generally supposed to refer here to 
the period when he was pursuing his studies at Athens. — Quirinus. 
Romulus is here selected, because naturally more interested than any 
other deity, in obliging his descendants not to cultivate any language 
but their own. — 33. Quum somnia vera. It was a common belief among 
the ancients, that dreams after midnight, and towards morning, were 
true. — 34. In silvam nun ligna /eras, &c. The proverbial form of ex- 

Siression " in silvam liana ferre," to denote a useless and superfluous ef- 
brt, is analogous to the common English one, " To carry coal to New- 
castle." — Insanius. "With more folly." — 3G. Turgidus Jllpinus jugulat, 
&.c. The allusion is to a wretched poet, named Alpinus, who, in de- 
scribing Memnon slain by Achilles, kills him, as it were, a second time 
by the miserable character of his description. — Dumque defingit Rheni 
lute tm caput. " And while, with inventive genius, he describes the muddy 
fountain-head of the Rhine." AVe have here an ironical allusion to an- 
other laughable feat of the same poet, in giving to the Rhine a head of 
mud. Defingo does not merely mean "to describe," but carries with it 
also the idea of invention or Action. In the present case, the invention 
or fiction is all the poet's own. — 38. In cede. " In some temple." The 
allusion is to the Roman custom, of compelling the dramatic poets to 
read over their pieces before some person or persons, appointed by the 
sdiles to decide upon the merits of their compositions. The successful 
piece was represented on the stage. A temple was usually selected for 
this purpose. — Certantia judice Tarpa. " Contending for the prize, with 
Tarpa as the judge." Compare the account given by the scholiast, who 
is wrong, however, in what he states respecting the temple of Apollo. 
Compare also preceding note: "Melius (or Macius) Tarpa fail judex cri- 
ticus, auditor assiduus poemalum et poetarum,in cede Jlpolhnis se.u Musarum, 
quoconvtnire poetce. solebant, suaque scripta recitare, quae nisi Tarpa aut alio 
critico prcbarentur, in scenam non deferebantur.'" — 39. Ner. redeant iterum, 
&c. The construction is : nee redeant theatris, iterum atque iterum spec- 
tan.la. 

40 — 44. 40. Argula meretrice potes, &c. " Thou, Fundanius, alone- 
of all men living, dost possess the talent of prattling forth tales in a sport- 
ive vein, where an artful courtezan and a Davus impose upon an old 
Chremes." The allusion is to comedy, in which, according to the ac- 
count here given by Horace, Fundanius appears to have been distin- 
guished, though we know nothing of him from the testimony of other 
writers. The characters introduced into the text have reference to one 
of the plays of Terence, but are intended also to be general in their ap- 
plication to comic writing. — Davo. Davus is the name of a wily slave 
in Terence. — 42. Pcllio. The poet refers to C. AsiniusPollio, whose ac- 
quirements enabled him to shine in the noblest branches of polite litera- 
ture, poetry, eloquence, and history. — 43. Pede terpercusso. " In lam- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. SATIRE X. 475 

bic trimeters." The Iambic trimeter verse is here thus styled, from the 
circumstance of its being scanned by measures of two feet, after each 
of which measures the time was marked by the percussion of the mu- 
sician's foot. There being three of these measures or metres in the 
trimeter, there were, consequently, three percussions. — Forte epos acer, 
&c. The construction is, acer Varius, ducit ut nemo forte epos. " The 
spirited Varius leads along the manly epic in a style that none can 
equal." In a literal translation repeat ducit after nemo. — 44. Nolle atque 
facetum Virgilio annuerunt, &c. " The Muses that delight in rural scenes 
have granted softness and elegance to Virgil." It is evident from this, 
as well as from the poet's placing Varius at the head of the Roman 
epic writers, that the Aeneid was not published when the present sa- 
tire was composed, and that the Bucolics and Georgicshad alone as yet 
appeared. 

46 — 66. 46. Hoc erat, experto frustra, &c. " This kind of writing, 
Mi which I here indulge, was what, after the Atacinian Varro, and cer- 
tain others, had essayed it in vain, I was enabled to pursue with better 
success, though inferior to the inventor." With hoc supply genus scri- 
bendi. The allusion is to satire, and the inventor of it, to whom Horace 
here acknowledges his inferiority, was Lucilius. — Varrone Atacino. The 
Varro here meant was not the learned Roman, but a native of Gallia 
Narbonensis, who was called Atacinus after the little river Atax, in that 
quarter, now the Aude. — 50. At dirifluere hunc lutulentum, &c. Com- 
pare Sat. 1. 4. 11. seqq. — 52. Doctus. " A learned critic." Ironical. — 
53. Comis Lucilius. " The courtly Lucilius." The epithet comis ap- 
pears to be here used by way of derision. — Alti. Attius (or Accius, as 
he is sometimes, but improperly, called) was a Roman tragic writer, 
born about A. U. C. 584. His compositions were harsh in their charac- 
ter, but were held in high estimation by his countrymen. Only some 
fragments remain. — 54. Non ridet versus Emu, &c. " Does he not ridi- 
cule some of the verses of Ennius, as too trifling for the dignity of the 
subject ?" 55. Quitm de se loquitur, &c. " When he speaks of him- 
self, is it. not as of one who is superior to those that are censured by 
him?" — 57. Numittius,num rerum, &c. "Whether his own genius, 
or the difficult nature of the topics which he handles, has denied him 
verses in any respect more finished, and flowing more smoothly, than if 
one, satisfied merely with this, with confining namely any thing what- 
ever in the limits of six feet," &c. i. e. within the limits of an hexameter 
verse. — 61. Etrusci Cassi. The " Etrurian Cassius," here spoken of, 
appears to have been a distinct individual from the "Cassius of Parma" 
(Cassius Parmensis) mentioned in Epist. 1. 4. 3. though confounded with 
him by some. Of the Etrurian Cassius we know little, if any thing, 
except that he was a most rapid writer. — 63. Capsis quern fama est, &c. 
" Who, as the story goes, was burned at the funeral pile by means of hig 
own book-cases and productions." A satirical allusion to the number 
of his works. So many were they, that, together with the cases that 
contained them, they furnished fuel enough to consume his corpse. The 
story, of course, may be believed or not, as we see fit. The poet's ob- 
ject is answered notwithstanding. — 64. Fuerit Lucilius, inqitam, &c. 
" Grant, I say, that Lucilius is a courtly and pleasing writer ; grant 
that he is also more polished than Ennius, the first writer in a species of 
poetry then still rude in its character, and never attempted by the 
Greeks." The word auCtor is here equivalent to scriptor. — 66. Rudis et 
Greeds intacti carminis. Satire is meant. Compare Remarks on Ro- 
man Satire. 



476 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. SATIRE X. 

67 — 77. 67. Sed Me, &c. The reference is to Ennius, and the idea 
intended to be conveyed is as follows : Grant that Lucilius is superior 
m grace and polish to Ennius, yet the latter (sed ille,) were he to live in 
tins our age, would not, like Lucilius, leave behind him many things 
deserving of being removed and cast away ; but would retrench what- 
ever appeared objectionable or superfluous ; neither would he again, 
like that same poet, pour forth a host of verses rapidly composed, but 
would exercise in their formation the utmost circumspection and care. — 
70. Et in versu faciendo. " And in polishing his verse." 71. Sazpe ca- 
put scaberet, &c. A sportive mode of convening the idea, that he would 
exercise the greatest care and attention. — 71. Vivos. " To the quick." 
Equivalent to ad vivum usque. — 72. Sape stilumvertas,&.c. "Be fre 
quent in thy corrections, if thou intendest to write what shall be worthy 
of a second perusal." Literally, " turn the stilus often," &c. An allu- 
sion to the Roman mode of writing. The ordinary writing materials 
of the Romans were tablets covered with wax, and, besides these, paper 
and parchment. The former, however, were most commonly employed. 
The stilus, or instrument for writing, was a kind of iron pencil, broad 
at one end, and having a sharp point at the other. This was used for 
Wilting on the tablets, and when they wished to correct any thing, they 
turned the stilus and smoothed the wax with the broad end, that they 
might write on it anew. — 74. Contentus paucis ledoribus. " Content 
with a few readers of taste." — 75. Vilibus in ludis dictari. " To he dictated 
by |" ■clauogues to their pupils in petty schools." Copies of works being 
scarce, the schoolmasters, in ancient times, were accustomed to read 
aloud, or dictate to their pupils the verses of an author, and these the 
boys had to write down and get by heart.— 77. Explosu Jlrbuscula. The 
female here alluded to was a freedwoman, and a celebrated mime- 
player. The anecdote to which Horace refers is this: Having been 
hissed on one occasion on the stage, by the lower orders of the people, 
she observed, with great spirit, that she cared nothing for the rabble as 
long as she pleased the more cultivated part of her audience among the 
equestrian ranks. 

78 — 92. 78. Men' moveat cimex Pantilius ? &c. The poet here alludes 
by name to four of his adversaries, Pantilius, Demetrius, Fannius, and 
Tigellius, as mere fools, and worthy only of his contempt. — Cimex. 
This epithet is intended to denote here, in a figurative sense, an indivi- 
dual of so disagreeable a character, and so mean and insidious in his 
attacks, as to be deserving of general aversion. — 79. Vellicet. Under- 
stand me. And so also with laedat in the following line. — Demetrius. 
Compare note on verse 18. — 81. Plolius. Consult note on Sat. 1. 5. 40. 
— Farius. Consult note on Ode 1. 6. 1. — 82. Valgius. Consult Intro- 
ductory Remarks, Ode 2. 9. — Oclavius. Concerning this friend of the 
poet's nothing is known. He must not by any means be confounded 
with Octavianus (Augustus), since Horace always stiles the latter either 
Cffisar or Augustus. — 83. jFwsctts. Aristius Fuscus, to whom Ode 1. 
22. and Epist. 1. 10. are inscribed. — Viscorum uterque. Consult note on 
Sat. 1. 9. 22. — S4. Ambitione relegata. "Every feeling of vain-glory 
apart." The poet, in naming the illustrious individuals that follow, 
wishes to be understood as not intending to pride himself on their pow- 
eiful support, but as referring to them simply in the light of candid and 
able judges of poetical merit. — 85. Pollio. Compare Introductory Re- 
marks, Ode 2. 1. — Messala. Compare Introductory Remarks, Ode 3. 
21. — 86. Bibule. Bibulus, to whom the poet here alludes, is thought to 
nave been the son of M. Calpurnius, Bibulus, who was consul with 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE I. 477 

Julius Caesar, A. U. C. 694. — Servi. The poet referes probably to Ser- 
viusSulpicius, the cousin of D. Brutus, who was attached to the study 
of philosophy and the liberal arts, and was tribute of the commons A. 
U. C. 706. — Simul his. For uno cum his. — Furni. The scholiast gives 
the following account of this Furnius. " Furnius hisloriarum fide el 
elegantia claruit." He seems therefore to have enjoyed eminence as an 
historical writer. — 88. Prudens. " Purposely." — Haec. " These my 
productions." — 90. Demetri, teque, Tigelli, &c. The poet, having brought 
to a conclusion his defence of himself against the admirers of Lucilkis, 
now ends his poem by an address to Demetrius and Tigellius, in which 
he takes leave of them, not in the common form, but by bidding them 
go and mourn amid the seats of their female pupils. — Jubeo plorare. 
An imitation ot the Greek forms of expression, oi'nio<,s;, and olynh^uv \iyia 
coi. The more usual Latin phrases are, " Pereas .-" " Malum tibi sit" 
(Liu. 4. 49.) " I in malam crucem." — 92. J, puer, atque meo, &c. The 
poet bids his secretary write down what he has uttered against Deme- 
trius and Tigellius, that it may not be lost. This is to be added to the 
satire as far as dictated to the scribe. — Meo libello. " To my present 
production." 



BOOK II. 



Satire 1. Our author, observing that many persons were irritated 
and alarmed by the license of his satiric muse, states the case to his aged 
friend, the lawyer Trebatius, who had been known as a professed wit in 
the age of Cicero, and who humourously dissuades him from again ven- 
turing on the composition of satires. The poet, however, resolves to 
persevere, and, in pleading his cause, indulges in his natural disposition 
for satire and ridicule with his wonted freedom. 

1 — 8. 1. Et idlra legem tenders opus. "And to push this species of 
writing beyond its proper limits." Legem is here equivalent, in spirit, to 
normam or regulam, and the simple verb tendere is employed by the poet 
for the compound extendere. — 2. Sine nervis. " Without force." — 4. 
Deduci posse. "Might be spun." Deduct is a metaphorical expression 
taken from spinning wool, and drawing down the thread. — Trebati. The 
poet is here supposed to address himself to C. Trebatius Testa, a dis- 
tinguished lawyer, and a man well known for his wit. — Q,uiescas. " Write 
no more." Begin now to keep quiet, and put an end to thy satirical ef- 
fusions. — 6. Aio. The poet here very pleasantly makes use of another 
expression peculiar to the lawyers of the day. Thus when they affirmed, 
it was Jlio. When they denied, Nego; and, when the point required de- 
liberation, their form of reply was, Deliberandum sentio. — 7. Erat. The 
Latin and English idioms differ here. We translate erat as if itwere 
esset, whereas, in the original the advantage referred to is spoken of as 
something actual, in the indicative mood, though the circumstances which 
would have realised it, never have taken place. — Verum nequeo dormire. 
The sentence is elliptical, and, when completed, will run as follows : " But 
I can't sleep at night, and therefore, to till up the time, I write verses." — 
Ter uncli transnanto, &c. "Let those who stand in need of deep repose, 
having anointed themselves, swim thrice across the Tiber." Some com- 
mentators suppose, that the anointing with oil, which is here alluded to, 



478 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE I. 

is recommended in the present instance in order to give more pliancy to 
the limbs in swimming. It would seem, however, to refer rather to the 
Roman gymnastic exercises, preparation for which was always made by 
anointing the body, and which were generally succeeded by swimming. 
Hence the advice which Trebatins gives the poet is simply this, to go 
through a course of gymnastic exercises, then swim thrice across the 
Tiber, and lastly, end the day with plenty of wine {Irrigvumque 
viero stib noctem, &c.) These directions on the part of Trebatins are 
intended to have a sly allusion to his own habits, and, like an honest) 
good-natured physician, he is made to prescribe for Horace two things 
which he himself loved best; swimming and drinking. — 8. Transnanfo. 
This form is of a legal character, and therefore purposely used on the 
present occasion. It is chiefly employed for the sake of emphasis in the 
wording of laws. 

11 — 17. 11. Ccesaris. Augustus. — 12. Pater. Trcbatius was now 
advanced in years, hence the customary appellation of pater. — 13. Hur- 
rtntia /tilis agmina. The allusion here is to the Roman battalia, the 
pilum being peculiar to the Roman troops. — 14. Fracta pereuntes cuspide 
Gal'os. An allusion to the contrivance which Marius made use of in his 
engagement with the Cimbri. Until then the Romans had been accus- 
tomed to fasten the shaft of the pilum to the iron head with two iron pins. 
Bui Marius, on this occasion, letting one of them remain as it was, had 
the other taken out, and a weak wooden peg put in its place. By this 
he intended, that, when the pilum struck in the enemy's shield, it should 
not stand right out ; but that the wooden peg breaking, and the iron 
pin bending, the shaft of the weapon should drag upon the ground, while 
the point Btuck fast in the shield. The Cimbri, it will be perceived, al- 
though of Germanic origin, are here called by the appellation of Galli. 
The Germans and Gauls were frequently confounded by the Roman 
writers. — 16. Et justum el fortem. "Both just and energetic." — 17. 
Scipiatlam \d sapiens Lucilius. " As the discreet Lucilius (lid Scipio." 
Scipiadam is put for the more regular patronymic form Scipionia- 
dem. The allusion is either to the elder or younger Africanus, but to 
which of the two is not clearly ascertained. Most probably the latter is 
meant, as Lucilius lived on terms of the closest intimacy with both him 
and his friend Lselius. Horace styles Lucilius " sapiens," (discreet), 
with reference, no doubt, to his selection of a subject ; Lucilius having 
confined himself to the pacific virtues of his hero, and thus having avoid- 
ed the presumption of rivalling Ennius, who had written of the warlike 
exploits of the elder Africanus. 

18 — 29. 18. Qunm res ipsa feret. "When a fit opportunity shall 
offer." — JVisi dextro tempore. " Unless offered at a proper time." — 20. 
Cut male si palpere, &x. "Whom if one unskilfully caresses, he will 
kick back upon him, being at all quarters on his guard." Horace here 
compares Augustus to a spirited horse, which suffers itself with pleasure 
to be caressed by a skilful hand, but winces and kicks at these that 
touch him roughly. The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole 
passage is this, that the productions of the bard, if well-timed, will be 
sure to elicit the attention of Augustus ; whereas, shielded as he is on 
every side against the arts of flatterers, he will reject ill-timed praise with 
scorn and contempt. — 21. Hoc. "This course," i. e. to celebrate the 
exploits of Augustus. — Tristi Icedere versu. " To attack in bitter verse." 
— 22. Pantolabum scurram," &c. This line has already occurred, Serm. 
L 18. 11. — 23. Intactus. "Though as yet unassailed." — Eiodit. "And 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE I. 479 

hates both verses of this kind and those who compose them." — 24. Quid 
faciam ? &c. The poet here strives to excuse himself, and alleges the 
following plea in his defence. Human pursuits are as various as men 
themselves are many. One individual is fond of dancing the moment 
his head is turned with wine, another is fond of horses, a third of pugi- 
listic encounters ; my delight, like that of Lucilius, consists in writing 
satirical effusions. — Salted Milonius. The Romans held dancing in ge- 
neral in little estimation. — Ut semel icto, &c. " The moment his head, 
affected with the fumes of wine, grows hot, and the lights appear dou- 
bled to his view." — 26. Castor gaudet equis. Compare Ode 1. 12. 26. — 
Ovo prognatus eodem. Pollux. Compare Ode 1. 12. 26. — 28. Pedi* 
bus claudere verba. " To versify." — 29. Nostrum meltons utroque. The 
argument a fortiori. If Lucilius, "who was superior in point of birth and 
fortune, to us both," {nostrum melioris utroque), was not ashamed to write 
satires, with much stronger reason should I, a man of ignoble birth, ba- 
nish all fear of degrading myself by indulging in this same species of 
composition. 

31 — 37. 31. Neque, si male cesseral, &c. "Neither having recourse 
elsewhere, if his affairs went ill, nor if well." — 32. Quo fit ut omnis, &c. 
"Whence it happens, that the whole life of the old bard is as open to the 
view, as if it were represented in a votive painting." The expression votiva 
labella alludes to the Roman custom of hanging up, in some temple or 
public place, in accordance with a vow, a painting, in which was repre- 
sented some signal deliverance, or piece of good fortune, that had happen- 
ed to the individual. It was most frequently done in cases of escape from 
shipwreck. — 34. Sequor hunc, Lucanus an Appulus, anceps, &c. A pleasing 
and slyly-satirical imitation of the wandering and talkative manner of 
Lucilius in describing the circumstance and events of his own life. One 
geographical mile south of Venusia, there was a chain diverging from the 
Apennines, which separated Apulia from Lucania. Hence the city of 
Venusia, the natal place of Horace, would lie on the immediate confines 
of the latter region. — 36. Sabellis. The allusion here is to the Samnites, 
who were driven out of this quarter by Curius Dentatus, A. U. C. 463. — 
37. Quo ne per vacuum, &c. " That the enemy might make no incursions 
into the Roman territory, through an unguarded frontier." With Romano 
eupply agro. 

39 — 49. 39. Vitro. Equivalent to non lacessitus. — 43. pater et rex 
Jupiter, ut pereat, &c. " O Jupiter, father and sovereign, may my weapon 
be laid aside and consumed with rust." To show that he is not too much 
in earnest, the poet parodies in his prayer a line of Callimachus, (fragm. 
7.) Ut is here used for utinam, as w? in Callimachus for u8e. — 45. Qui 
me commorit. " Who shall irritate me." Understand ira in the ablative. 
— 46. Flebit. " Shall be sorry for it." — Insignis. "Marked out by me 
in verse." — 47. Cervius iratus leges, &c. The poet, intending to express 
the idea, that every one has arms of some kind or other, with which to at- 
tack or to defend, introduces, for this purpose, four infamous characters, 
we'd equipped with evil arts for the injury of others. The first of these, 
Cervius, appears to have been a public informer. — Leges et urncan. " With 
the laws and a prosecution." Literally, "with the laws and the (judiciary) 
urn." Urna refers to the practice of the Roman judges in expressing their 
opinions, by throwing their votes or ballots into an urn placed before them. 
— 48. Canidia. Compare Introductory Remarks, Epode 5. Canidia is 
here made to threaten her enemies with the same poison that Albutiua 
used. According to the scholiast, this individual poisoned his own wife. 



4S0 EXPLANATORY NOTES. LOOK II. SATIRE I. 

— 49. Grande malum Turius, &c "Turius great injur} - , if one goes to 
law about any thing while he presides as judge." The allusion is to a 
corrupt judge, and by grande malum is meant an unfortunate ami 
unjust termination of a cause, brought about by bribery or personal 
enmity. 

50 — 61. 50. Ut, quo quisgue vdet, &.C "How every creature strives 
to terrify those who are taken by it for enemies, with that in which it is 
most powerful, and how a strong natural instinct commands this to be 
done, infer with me from the following examples." — 53. Scaevae vivacem 
credc ncpoti, &c. The poet here, in his usual maimer, so manages his 
argument, as to convert it into a means of lashing one of the abandoned 
characters of the day. The train of thought is as follows: But Scacva, 
the spendthrift, one will say, is an exception to my rule : for he mnke3 
no use whatever of the weapons of attack that nature has bestowed upon 
him; he employs open violence against no being. Aye! entrust Ids 
aged mother to his power. He wont do her any open harm. Oh! no, 
he is too pious for that. But he will remove the old woman by a secret 
dose of poison. — According to the scholiast, Scaeva poisoned his mother 
because she lived too long. — 53. Vivacem matrem. "His long-lived 
mother." — 51. Pia. Ironical.— Mirum, ut neque calce lupus, kc. "A 
wonder indeed ! juel .is the wolf does not attack any one with his hoof, 
nor the ox with his teeth." Wonderful indeed! observes the poet; how, 

Eray, do other animals act? since the wolf does not attack with his hoof 
ut his fangs, and the ox not with his teeth hut his horn. Horace does 
in to diminish the criminality of Scacva's conduct, because he se- 
cretly made away with his mother; on the contrary, he considers it 
equally as criminal, as ifhe had been o-uitty of open and violent parricide. 
His leading position must be borne in mind, that all, whether men or 
animals, have their own ways of attack and defence, and that he too has 
his, the writing of satires. — 5G. Mala ritiato melle. cicuta. "*By honey 
poisoned withthe deadly hemlock." — 59. Jusserit. Supply si. — 60. Quis- 
quis erit ritae color. " Whatever shall be the complexion of my life." — 

fnnr ul sit vitalis metao. " My son, I am afraid that thou wilt not live 
ong." After the verbs metuo, timeo, vereor, ne is used when the follow- 
ing verb expresses a result contrary to our wish, lit when it is agreeable 
tolt Trebatius wishes Horace to enjoy a long life, but is afraid he will 
not. Hence ne after such verbs, must be rendered by that, and ut by 
that not. — 61. Et majorum ne quis amicus, &c " And that some one of 
thy powerful friends will kill thee by a withdrawing of his favour." Fii- 
gore is here equivalent to amiciliae remissione. The idea intended to be 
conveyed by the whole reply of Trebatius is as follows : Yes, yes, my 
good friend, it would be very well if even exile alone were involved in 
this matter. But there is something worse connected with it. At pre- 
sent, all is fair ; thou livest at R.ome in the society of the great and pow- 
erful, and they smile on thee, because thou amusestthem. But where is 
thy safety ? In an unguarded moment, those very powers of satire, which 
they now laud to the skies, will be directed against some one of their 
own number : Coldness and aversion will succeed, on their part, to inti- 
mate and familiar friendship, and thou, unable to bear the change, will 
pine away in vexation and grief, until death closes the scene. 

63 — 77. 63. In hunc opens morem. " After this manner of writing." 
— 64. Detrahere et pellem. " And to tear away the covering," or, more 
freely, " to remove the mask." — Per ora cederet. " Moved proudly be- 
fore the faces of men." Ct&trel is for incederet. — 65. Qui duxit ah op- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE II. 481 

pressa, &c. Alluding to the younger Africanus. — 67. Ingenio. "By 
his satirical vein." — Metello. The reference is to Metellus Macedom- 
cus, who, as a political opponent of Scipio's, was of course satirized by 
Lucilius. — 68. Lupo. The allusion is to Rutilius Lupus, a considerable 
man in the Roman state, but noted for his wickedness and impiety. — 
Lucilius, in one of his books of satires, represents an assembly of the 
gods deliberating on human affairs, and, in particular, discussing what 
punishment ought to be inflicted on him. — 69. Arripuit. " He attacked." 
— Tributim,. " Tribe after tribe." Not content with lashing the patri- 
cians, he ran through all the thirty-five tribes, one after another, every 
where selecting, with an impartial hand, those whose vices or failings 
made them the legitimate objects of satire. — 70. Scilicet uni aequus vir- 
tuti, &c. " In short, sparing virtue alone and virtue's friends. — 7 1 . Quin 
ubi se a vidgo, &c. " And yet, when the brave Scipio and the mild and 
wise Laelius had withdrawn themselves from the crowd and the scene 
of public life to the privacy of home, they were accustomed to trifle and 
divert themselves with him, free from all restraint, while the herbs were 
cooking for their supper." — 72. Virtus Scipiadae et mitis sapientia Laeii. 
An imitation of the Greek idiom, for fortis Scipio et mitis atque sapiens 
Laelius. — 73. Ludere. The scholiast relates the following little inci- 
dent, as tending to show the intimacy of the individuals alluded to. — 
" Scipio Africanus et Laelius feruntur tarn fuisse familiares et amid Lu- 
cilio, ut quodam tempore Laelio circura lectos triclinii fugienti Lucilius su~ 
perveniens cum o'otorta mappa quasi feriturus sequeretur." — 75. Infra Lu- 
cili censum ingeniumque. " Inferior to Lucilius in birth and talents." 
Compare verse 29, of this same satire. Lucilius was of equestrian origin, 
and grand-uncle to Pompey the great, on the mother's side. — 76. Magnis. 
Alluding to Augustus, Maecenas, &c. — 77. Et fragili qucerens illidere 
dentem, &c. "And, while seeking to fix its tooth in something brittle, 
shall strike against the solid," i. e. while endeavouring to find some 
weak point of attack in me, shall discover that I am on all sides proof 
against its envenomed assaults. The idea in the text is borrowed from 
the apologue of the viper and the file. 

79 — 86. 79. Equidem nihil hinc difjindere possum. "Indeed I can 
deny no part of this." The term diffindere suits the character of the 
speaker, being borrowed from the courts of law. In this sense it means 
properly to put off a matter, as requiring farther consideration, to ano- 
ther day, and it is here employed, with the negative, to convey the idea, 
that the present matter is too clear for any farther discussion, and can- 
not be denied. — 80. Ne forte negoti incutiat tibi, &c. " Lest an ignorance 
of the established laws may chance to bring thee into any trouble." — 
The allusion is to the laws of the day against libels and defamatory 
writing of every kind. — 82. Si mala condiderit, &c. In order to under- 
stand the reply of Horace, which follows, the term mala must be here 
plainly and literally rendered : " If any person shall compose bad verses 
against an individual, there is a right of action, and a suit may be 
brought." In the law, as here cited by Trebatius, mala means " libel- 
lous," " slanderous," &c. ; but Horace, having no serious answer to 
make, pretends to take it in the sense of " badly-made," and hence he 
rejoins, Esto, si quis mala : sed bona si q<uis, &c. — 86. Solventur risu ta- 
bulae, &c. " The indictment shall be quashed with a laugh." 



Satire 2. This satire, on the luxury and gluttony of the Romans, is 
put into the mouth of a Sabine peasant, whom Horace calls Ofellus, and 



482 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE II. 

whose plain good sense is agreeably contrasted with the extravagance 
and folly of the ereat. He delivers rules of temperance with the utmost 
ease and simplicity of manner, and thus bestows more truth and liveli- 
ness on the pictures, than if Horace (who was himself known to fre- 
quent the luxurious tables of the patricians) had inculcated the moral 
precepts in his own person. 

1 — 9. 1. Boni. "My good friends." — Vivere parvo. "To live 
cheerfully upon little." — 2. JWc meus hie sermo est. Compare Introduc- 
tory Remarks. — 3. Jlbnormis sapiens, crassaque Minerva. "A philoso- 
pher without rules, and of strong, rough common sense." The expres- - 
sion abnormis sapiens is here used to denote one who was a follower of 
no sect, and derived his doctrines and precepts from no rules of philoso- 
phising as laid down by others, but who drew them all from his own 
breast, and was guided by his own convictions respecting the fitness or 
unfitness of things. The phrase crassa Minerva is meant to designate 
one, who has no acquaintance with philosophical subtleties or the pre- 
cepts of art, but is swayed by the dictates and suggestionsof plain, native 
sense. — 1. Mensasqut nitentes. "And glittering tables," i. e. glittering 
with plate. — 5. Quum slupet insanis, &C. "When the sight is dazzled 
by the sensi less glare." The allusion in the term insanis appears to be 
to the folly of those who indulge in such displays. Some commentators, 
however, make it equivalent simply toingentibus. — 7. Impransi. " Before 
you have dined," or, more freely, "apart from splendid banquets." — 8. 
Dicam si pfl.ro, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole 

Eassage is as follows : The mind, when allured by a splendid banquet, 
ccomes, like a corrupt judge, incapable of investigating the truth. He 
alone that is thirsty and hungry despises not common viands. There- 
fore, if thou wilt, cither by hunting or riding, or, should these please thee 
more, by a performance of Grecian exercises, by throwing the hall or dis- 
cus, drive away loathing ; and then, both hungry and thirsty, thou wilt 
not contemn homely fare, thou wilt not wait for mulsum nor for fish, but 
wilt appease thy sharpened appetite with plain bread and salt. — 9. Le- 
porem sectatus, equove, &c. Hunting and riding formed among the an- 
cients a principal part of those exercises by which the body was thought 
to be best prepared for the toils of war. Compare Ode 3. 24. 54. and 
Epist, 1. 18. 49. 

10—22. 10. Romana militia. "The martial exercises of Rome." The 
two most important of these, hunting and riding, have just been men- 
tioned. — 11. Jissuetum graecari. " Accustomed to indulge in Grecian 
games." These were the games of the pila and discus, as is stated im- 
mediately after. — 12. JWolliter austerum studio, &c. "While the excite- 
ment of the sport softens, and renders the player insensible to, the se- 
verity of the exercise." — 13. Discus. The discu3 was a quoit of stone, 
brass, or iron, which they threw by the help of a thong put through a hole 
in the middle of it. It was of different figures and sizes, being some- 
times square, but usually broad and round. — Jlgit. In the sense ofrfeZec- 
tat or allicit. — 15. Sperne. "Despise if thou canst." — Nisi Hymettia 
mclla Falerno, &c. An allusion to the Roman drink called mulsum, 
which was made of wine and honey. As the Falernian here indicates 
the choicest wine, so the Hymettian is meant to designate the best 
honey. The drink here referred to was generally taken to whet the 
appetite. — 17. Defendens pisces. "Protecting its fish," i. e. from being 
caught. — Hiemat. "Is stormy." — 18. Latrantem stomachum. " A hun- 
gry stomach." Literally, "a barking stomach," i. e. one, that being 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE I. 483 

empty of aliment, and full of wind, demands food by the noise it makes. 
— 19. In caro nidore. "In the price and savour of thy food." Literally 
" in the dear-bought savour," &c. — 20. Tu puimentaria quaere sudando. 
" Do thou seek for delicate dishes in active exercise," i. e. do thou 
seek in active exercise for that relish, which delicious and costly vi- 
ands are falsely thought to bestow. The terms pvlmentarium and 
pulmentum originally denoted every thing eaten with puis. Subse- 
quently they came to signify every thing eaten with bread or be- 
sides bread, and hence, finally, they serve to indicate all manner of 
delicate and sumptuous dishes. — 21. Pinguem vitiis albumque. "Bloated 
and pale with excessive indulgence." Vitiis here alludes to high- 
living generally, and to all the evils that follow in its train. — Ostrea. 
To be pronounced, in metrical reading, as a dissyllable, ost-ra. — 22. 
Scarus. Consult note on Epode 2. 50. — Lagois. The Lagois is quite 
unknown : some think it a bird, others a fish. The former, very proba- 
bly, is the true opinion, as the fish of this name (the Cyclopterus Lumpus 
of modern icthyology) is not esculent. The bird Lagois is said to have 
tasted like a hare, whence its name from the Greek ^ayug. Baxter makes 
it the same with the Greek Xaywrovs, a species of grouse, which the 
French term Francolin and the Germans Birkhun or Berghuhn. Schnei- 
der, however, in his Lexicon (s. v. \ayds) thinks that the lagopus corres- 
ponds to the modern Schneehuhn, or " White Game." 

23 — 29. 23. Fix tamen eripiam, Sic. "And yet with difficulty will I 
prevent thee, if a peacock be served up, from wishing to gratify thy pa- 
late with this, rather than a fowl, misled as thou art by mere outside, 
because," &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : And yet, af- 
ter all my advice, and all my precepts to the contrary, I shall have no 
easy task in eradicating from thy mind that false opinion, which, based 
on mere external appearance, leads thee to prefer the peacock, as an 
article of food, to the common fowl, merely because the former is a 
dearer bird, and adorned with a rich and gaudy plumage. — 25. Vanis 
rerum. A Graecism for vanis rebus. — 26. Et picta pandat speclacula cauda. 
"And unfolds to the view a brilliant spectacle with its gaudy tail." — 27. 
Tanqaam ad rem, &c. "As if this were any thing to the purpose," i. e. as 
if this rarity and beauty of the peacock have any thing at all to do with the 
taste of it. — 23. Cocto num adest, &c. No ecthlipsis operates in num, but 
in metrical reading the word must be retained unaltered, cocto num adest. 
— Honor idem. " The same beauty." — 29. Came tamen quamvis, &c. 
The meaning of this passage has given rise to much contrariety of opi- 
nion. The following appears to us to yield the fairest sense : " Though 
there is indeed a difference in the flesh of the fowl and the peacock, yet 
is it plainly evident that thou art deceived not more by the latter than 
the former, but merely by the discrepancy in external appearance," i. e. 
Q,uamvis distal gallinae caro a pavonis, tamen nihil (non) hac (pavonis) 
magis ilia (gallinre, sed) imparibus formis deceptum te esse patet. 

31 — 34. 31. Unde datum sentis. For unde tibi concessiim est ut sen- 
tias. " Whence is it given thee to perceive," i. e. by what means art 
thou able to discover. The scholiast alludes to this nicety of taste, on 
the part of the Roman epicures, by which they pretended to be able to 
tell whether a fish had been taken between the Mulvian and Sublician 
bridges, or at the mouth of the Tiber. In the former case, the fish was 
thought to have a better taste, as having been caught in more rapid wa- 
ter. — Lupus. The pike. The Perca labrax of modern ichthyology. — 
32. Jlmnis Tusci. The Tiber. — 33. Laudas insane trilibrem, &c. The 
44 



484 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE II. 

poet now passes to another piece of folly in the gourmands of the day, 
lis \\ hom the rarer the food the more highly is it esteemed, and the more 
eagerly sought after, while other viands, of equal flavour, in every re- 
spect, are despised because they are common and easy to be procured. 
Thus, the case of the mullet and pike is cited, the former a small, the 
latter a long fish. If the mullet, which seldom exceeded two pounds, 
according to Pliny {H. N. 9. 17.), even when kept in the vivaria and 
piscina of the rich, could only be procurer] of three pounds' weight, it 
was esteemed one of the greatest of rarities, while the pike, though 
weighing many pounds, was thought to be far its inferior. — 34. Jtfui- 
lum. Horace here alludes to a three-pound mullet, as a prize of rare 
occurrence. — In singula auem minuas pulmenta neeesse est. "Which 
thou art compelled to cut into small bits." The allusion is to the small 
pieces into which the lish must be divided, in order that each of the 
guests may have a share. 

35 — 47. 35. Duett. In the sense of trahit or copU. — 37. His. Allud- 
ing to mullets. — 38. Jejunus raro stomachus, &c. In construction (if the 
line be genuine) raro must he joined with iejunus, and the allusion is to 
the stomach of the rich, which is here described as " rarely hungry." 
This therefore is the reason, according to Ofellus and the poet, why the 
Btomach of the rich contemns common lbod, and gives the preference to 
the small mullet overthe large pike.— 39. Magnum. Understand mutlum. — 
40. . lit Harpyiis gula digna rapacibus. " Exclaims a gullet worthy of the 
ravenous Harpies," i. e. exclaims some glutton, whose craving paunch 
renders him a tit companion forthe ravenous Harpies. — 41. Coquile liorum 
opsonia. ''Taint the dishes of these men." — Quamquam putet apir, &c. 
"Though the boar and the fresh caught turbot arc already nauseous, 
when surfeiting abundance provokes the sickened stomach ; when, over- 
loaded with dainties, it prefers rapes and sharp elecampane." Putel is 
Inn equivalent to nauseam creat, and the oxymoron is worth noting be- 
tween it and recens. — Rhombus. Consult note on Epode 2. 50. — 43. Ra- 
pxda. The rape is a plant of the genus Brassica, called also cole-rape 
and cole-seed, and of which the navew, or French turnip, is a variety. — 
44. Inirfaf, The elecampane marks a genus of plants, of many species. 
The common elecampane has a perennial, thick, branching root, of a 
strong odour, and is used in medicine. It is sometimes called yellow 
star-wort. Horace applies to this herb the epithet acid as, not, as the 
scholiast pretends, because it was commonly preserved in vinegar, but 
from the sharp and pungent nature of the plant itself. — Necdinn omnis 
abacta, &.c. "Nor is every kind of homely fare yet driven away from the 
banquets of the rich." Mex is here used, as elsewhere in Horace, in the 
sense of btatior, ditior, &c. — 46. Niyris okis. Columella (12. 48.) re- 
commends the dark-coloured olives as the best for preserving. — Baud ita 
pridem, &c. "It is not so long ago, that the table of Gallonius, the cryer, 
was exclaimed against by all for having a sturgeon served upon it," i. e. 
was exclaimed against by all, for this piece of extravagance in one of such 
contracted means. This is the Gallonius whom Lucilius lashes in his 
satires, and whom, for his gluttony, he calls gurges. Compare Cicero, de 
Fin. 2. 8. — 47. Jlccipensere. The sturgeon with us is far from being re- 
garded as a delicacy. In the time of Pliny, it would seem to have been 
viewed as a common fish, and the naturalist expresses his surprise at the 
fallen fortunes of this "piscium upud anliquos nobi'issimi." So, in the 
present instance, neither Horace nor Ofellus praise the sturgeon, but they 
only allude to the change of tastes in the case of this fish and the turbot, 
the latter having completely superseded the former. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE II. 485 

48 — 50. 48. Quid ? turn rkombos, &c. The meaning is, that the tur- 
bot is now in as great repute as the sturgeon was in the time of Gallo- 
nius. Did the sea then furnish no turbots ? Par from it; but no fool 
had as yet brought them into fashion. — 50. Donee vos auctor docuit prce- 
tonus. " Until a man of prastorian rank first taught you to eat these 
birds." The allusion is to a certain Asinius Sempronius Rufus, who 
was the first that introduced young storks as an article of food, an addi- 
tion to the luxuries of the table made in the reign of Augustus. Ho- 
race, in giving Sempronius the appellation of prcetorius, indulges in a 
bitter sarcasm. This individual never was praetor ; he had merely stood 
candidate for the office, and had been rejected by the people on account 
of the badness of his private character. 

51 — 62.51. Enxerit. Another hit at Sempronius. Edicere properly 
means to issue an edict as praetor. — 53. Sordidus a tenui victu, &c. 
Ofellus thus far has been inveighing, through the poet, against the lux- 
urious and the gluttonous, and recommending a plain and simple course 
of life. He now interposes a caution, and warns us that this plain 
mode of life, which he advocates, must by no means be confounded 
with a mean and sordid one. — 54. Nam frustra vitiwn vituceris Mud, Sue. 
"For to no purpose wilt thou have shunned that vice which has just 
been condemned, if thou perversely turn away to its opposite." — Jlvidie- 
nus. A fictitious name most probably. We know nothing farther of 
this personage than what Horace states. His filth and his impudence 
obtained for him the nick-name of "Dog." He ate olives that were 
five years old, whereas they were usually accounted good for nothing 
after two years. — 56. Duclum. "Derived." — 57. Est. "Eats." From 
edo. — 58. Ac nisi -mutatum, &c. "And avoids pouring out his wine until 
it has become sour." Parcit defundere is elegantly used for non defun- 
dit, or nonvult defundere. — Et cujus odor em olei nequeas perferre, &c. The 
order of construction is as follows : Et (licebit Me albalus cdebret repotia, 
natales, aliosve festos dierum) ipse instillat, bilibri cornu, caulibus, oleum, 
olorem cujus olei nequeas perferre, non parens veteris aceti. — 59. Licebit. 
" Although." In the sense of licet or quamvis. — 60. Repotia. The re- 
potia was an entertainment given by the husband on the day after the 
marriage, when presents were sent to the bride by her friends and rela- 
tions, and she began to act as mistress of the family by performing 
sacred rites. — Dierum festos. A Graecism for dies festos. — 61. Jllbatus 
"Clothed in white." The general colour of the Roman toga was 
white : this colour, however, was peculiarly adopted by the guests, or 
those who bore a part, at formal banquets, or on occasions of ceremony. 
— Ipse. "With his own hands." In this showing his mean and sordid 
habits, since, afraid that his guests, or his slaves, should be too profuse 
of his oil, bad as it was, he pours it out himself. Nor is this all : he 
pours it out drop by drop (instillat.) Moreover, the vessel containing it 
was of two pounds' weight, as if it were his whole store, and it was of 
horn that it might last the longer. — 62. Veteris non parens aceti. This, 
at first view, seems not to agree with the close and sordid character of 
Avidienus, because old vinegar is always the best. Hence some com- 
mentators have been disposed to make veteris, in the present passage, 
mean " stale" or " flat." On the other hand, Gesner thinks that the 
early reading, non largus aceti, would answer better than the received 
one. There appears to be no necessity, however, for either the 
one or the other of these remarks. Old vinegar was not more costly 
than new, and besides it would serve better to conquer the taste of his 
oil. 



486 EXPLANATORY NOTES.- BOOK II. 6ATIRE II. 

64—68. G4. Utrum. Alluding to the case of Gallonius on the one 
hand, and that of Avidienus on the other. Compare the scholiast: 
" l r trum ; Oal'onium an . ividienum /" — liar urgel lupus, &C. "On this 
side, as the saying is, presses the wolf, on that the dog." We have here 
a proverbial form" of expression, used whenever one was between two 
dangers equally threatening. In the present instance the adage applies 
with remarkable felicity, lupus denoting the glutton, and canis Avidienus. 
— 65. JMundus eril, qui mm, qffendet sordidus, &c. "He will be regarded 
as one that observes the decencies and proprieties of life, who docs not of- 
fend by sordid habits, and who gives no occasion for censure by running 
into either extreme of conduct," •• e. by either carrying a regard for the 
proprieties of life too far on the one hand, or indulging in sordidness or 
want of cleanliness, (whether intentional or the result of careless habits,) 
on the other. Of each of these opposite characters an example is given, 
the <me carrying a regard for exactness and precision to such an extreme 
as to punish his slaves tor the most trirling omission; and the other, a 
good-natured, easy, and indulgent master, who lets bis slaves act just as 
they please, and the consequence of which is, that these negligent domes- 
ties even serve greasy water (unctam aquam) to his guests. — 07. Dwm 
munia di I'd. " While he assigns them their several employments." The 
tyrannical master punishes beforehand, in anticipation of the offence. — 68. 
Ncevius. "The easy, good-natured Naevius." — 68. Unctamaquam. 
" Greasy water." 

71 — 77. 71. Varia res. "A mixture of one's food." Equivalent, 
literally, to varia ciborum genera. — 72. Mentor Ulius esar,, &c. "When 
thou callest to mind that fare, which, simple in its nature, sat so well on 
thy stomach in former days." — 76. Pituita. To be pronounced, in metri- 
cal reading, pil-icita. — 77. Cana dubia. "From a doubtful banquet." 
Ciena dubia denotes a feast, where there are so many dishes that a man 
know B not which to eat of; and, consequently, a splendid banquet where 
every luxury and delicacy present themselves: whereas cana ambigua 
merely signifies a banquet half meat and half fish served up together. — 
Qm'ii corpus onustum, &.c " Besides this, the body, overcharged with yes- 
terday's excess, weighs down the soul also along with it, and fixes to the 
earth this portion of the divine essence," or, more freely, " and plunges in 
matter this particle of the divinity." Horace, to give a higher idea of the 
nol'b rscss and dignity of the soul, borrows the language of the Pythagore- 
ans, the Stoics, but particularly the Platonists, respecting the origin of 
the human soul. These and other schools of ancient philosophy believed 
the souls of men to be so many portions or emanations of the deity. 

80 — 93. 80. Dicto citius. Referring, not to sopori, but to curata membra. 
The allusion is now to a frugal repast, in opposition to "a doubtful" one, 
and to the ease and quickness with which such a meal as the former is dis- 
patched, as well as to the peaceful slumbers which it brings, and the re- 
newed bodily vigour which it bestows for the labours of the ensuing day. — 
81. Prcescripta ad munia. "To his prescribed duties," i. e. to the duties 
of his calling. — 82. Hie tamen ad melius, &c. "And yet even this abste- 
mious man may on certain occasions have recourse to better cheer." — 84. 
Tenuatum. "Worn out with toil." — Ubique. "And when." — 86. Tibi 
quidnam accedet ad istam, &c. "What will be added for thee to that, soft 
indulgence, which, young and vigorous, thou art now anticipating, if either 
ill health or enfeebling age shall come upon thee?" i. e. thou art. now an- 
ticipating the only things that can support tliee amid the pains of sickness, 
or under the pressure of age. When age and sickness come, where will 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. -BOOK II. SATIRE II. 487 

be their aid ? — 90. Credo. " I presume." — Quod hospes tardius adveniens, 
&c. "That a guest, arriving later than ordinary, might better partake of 
it, tainted as it was, than that the greedy master should devour it all him- 
self, while sweet." Integrum has here the force of recentem, " fresh," 
"sweet." — 92. Hos utinam inter heroas, &c. Ofellus is in earnest. The 
poet indulges in a joke. — 93. Tellus prima. " Tl\e young earth." The 
good Ofellus, in his earnestness, confounds the " antiqui" and their " ran- 
cidus aper" with the happy beings who lived in the golden age, and the 
rich banquets that nature provided them. — Tulisset. In allusion to the 
belief, that the primitive race of men were produced from the earth. 

94 — 111. 94. Das aliquid fama, &c. " Hast thou any regard for 
fame, which charms the human ear more sweetly than music ?" The 
idea here intended to be conveyed, is said to be borrowed from a remark 
of Antisthenes, the philosopher. — 96. Una cum damno. "Along with 
ruin to fortune." — 97. Iratum patruum. The severity of uncles was 
proverbial. — Te tibi iniquum. "Thee angry with thyself." — 98. Quum 
deerit egenti, &c. " When an as, the price of a halter, shall be wanting 
to thee in thy poverty," i. e. when plunged in abject poverty, thou shalt 
not have wherewithal to purchase a halter in order to put an end to thy 
misery. — 99. Jureinquit Trausius istis, &c. These words are supposed 
to proceed from some rich and luxurious individual. " Trausius (says 
some rich individual) is deservedly reproached in such words as these ; 
as forme, I possess great revenues, and riches sufficient for three kings," 
i. e. go and read these wise lectures to Trausius, I am too rich to need 
them. — Trausius was one who had wasted his patrimony in luxury 
and debauchery. — 101. Ergo quod superat, non est, &c. " Hast thou then 
no better way in which thou mayest employ thy superfluous resources?" 
— 103. Cur eget indignus quisquam. " Why is any man, who deserves 
not so to be, suffering under the pressure of want ?" With indignus 
supply, for a literal translation, qui egeat. — 105. Tanto emeliris acervo? 
The terms are here extremely well selected. The wealth of the indivi- 
dual in question is a heap, and he does not count his riches but measures 
them. — 106. Nimirum. "No doubt." Ironical. — 107. Posthac. Al- 
luding to the possibility of his experiencing hereafter some reverse ot 
fortune. — 109. Pluribus. " To a thousand artificial wants." — Superbum. 
"Pampered." — 111. In pace, ut sapiens, &c. A beautiful comparison. 
As the prudent man, in time of peace, improves and strengthens his 
resources against the sudden arrival of war and the attacks of an enemy, 
so the temperate man, in prosperity, enjoys with moderation the favours 
of fortune, in order that the change to adversity may neither be too sud- 
den nor too great. 

112 — 124. 112. His. " These precepts," i. e. as uttered by Ofellus. 
— Puer hunc ago parvus, &c. " I took notice, when I was a little boy, 
that this Ofellus did not use his resources in any way more freely when 
unimpaired, than he does now that they are diminished." — 114. Videas 
metato in agello, &c. " One may see the stout-hearted countryman, sur- 
rounded with his flocks and children, labouring for hire on his own farm 
now measured out to another, and talking to this effect." Ofellus was 
involved in the same misfortune with Virgil, Tibullus, and Propertius. 
Their lands were distributed among the veteran soldiers who had served 
at Philippi against Brutus and Cassius : those of Ofellus were given to 
one Umbrenus, who hired their former possessor to cultivate them for 
him. — Metato. " Measured out," i. e. transferred or assigned to an- 
other. In distributing the land to the veterans, they measured it, and 



488 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK II. SATIRE III. 

allowed each so many acres. — 116. Tenure. "Without good reason." 
— Luce profesta, " (in a work-day." The dies profesti were directly 
opposed to the dies festi. — 1 19. Operum vacuo per imbran. " Freed from 
labour by the badness of the weather." — 120. Bene erat. " We had a 
pleasant time of it." We regaled ourselves. — 121. PensUis ma. " The 
dried i;rape." A species of raisin. The grapes here referred to were 
hung up within doors to dry. — 122. Duplice ficu. The allusion is to 
"the split fiff." The sweetest ftps according to Aristotle, were those 
that were split, dried, and then pressed together again, (titxa hxiaithai.) — 
123. Post hoc Indus erat, culpa potarc magislra. " After this we amused our- 
selves with drinking, having the fine of a bumper as the ruler of the 
feast" The phrase culpa potaremagistra clearly ulludes to the custom 
prevalent at the entertainments of former days, and not disused even in 
our own times, by which the individual, who might chance to offend 
against any of the rules of the feast, was fined in one cup, or in many, 
according to the extent of his offence. The nature of his fault there- 
fore, would be the standard by which his amercement was to be estima- 
ted. — 124. .lc venerata Ceres, ila culmo, &c. " And Ceres was worship- 
ped that the corn might thereupon rise in a lofty stem." Venerata is here 
taken passively, and the allusion is to a libation poured out in honour of 
the goddess. — lla. Equivalent to venerata. — Surgeret. Understand ut. 

128 — 134 128. XHuislis. "Have you fared." Equivalent, by a 
pleasing figure, to nutritiestis. Compare the remark of Doring : "nam 
bene nutriti, pracipue rustic!, nitent vidtu el carport." — Ut. "Since." — 
JVovUS im oli. Alluding to Umbrenus. — 129. Nam propria telluris, &c. 
"For nature has made neither him, nor me, nor any one else, owner of a 
piece of land us ;i tasting possession." — 131. NequiHts, autvafri inscitia 
juris. "An evil course of life, or a want of acquaintance with the subtle- 
ties of the law." — 132. Vivacior heres. "His longer-lived heir." — 134. £rit 
nulli proprius. "It will be a lasting possession to no one." 



Satire 3. Horace here converses with a Stoic, who was well known 
at Rome for the extravagant opinions which he entertained. In this fic- 
titious dialogue the pretended philosopher adduces the authority of a bro- 
ther charlatan, to prove that all mankind are mad, with the exception of 
the stoical sage. They deal out folly to every one in large portions, and 
assign Horace himself his full share. The various classes of men, the 
ambitious, luxurious, avaricious, and amorous, are distributed by them, as 
it were, into so many groups, or pictures, of exquisite taste and beauty, 
in which are delineated, with admirable skill, all the ruling passions that 
tyrannize over the heart of man. Some of their precepts are excellent, 
and expressed in lively and natural terms ; but occasional bursts of ex- 
travagance show that it was the object of the poet to turn their theories 
into jest, and to expose their interpretation of the principles established by 
the founders of their sect. (Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. 3. p. 256.) 

1 — 7. 1. Scribis. The allusion is to the composing of verses. — 2. 
Membranam. "Parchment." — Scriptorum quevque retexens. "Retouch- 
ing each of thy former productions." Rctexo is properly applied to the 
operation of unweaving : it is here metaphorically used for correcting 
and retouching a work. — 3. Benignus. " Prone to indulge in." — 4. Dig- 
num sermone. " Worthy of mention." — Q,uid fiet ? "What is to be 
done?" i. e. what dost thou intend doing? wilt thou write then, or not? 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE III. 489 

•— «#& ipsis Saturnalibvs hue fugisti. The train of ideas is as follows; 
One would imagine, indeed, from thy conduct, that the former of these 
plans had been adopted, and that thou wert actually going to write, for 
"thou hast fled hither," to the retirement of thy villa, ''from the very feast 
of Saturn itself." — Hue refers to the poet's Sabine villa, whither he had 
retired from the noise and confusion attending the celebration of the Sa- 
turnalia in the streets of the capital. — 5. Sobrius. "In sober mood," i. e. 
amid the sober tranquillity and the retirement of thy villa." Incipe. After 
uttering this, Damasippus is supposed to pause awhile, waiting for the 
poet to begin the task of composition. At length, tired with waiting to 
no purpose, he exclaims Mil est. " Nothing is forthcoming." — 7. Calami. 
"The pens." When writing on paper or parchment, the Romans made 
use of a reed sharpened and split in the point, like our pens, which they 
dipped in ink, (atramentum.) — Immeritusque laborat iratisnatus paries, &c. 
"And the unoffending wall suffers, born under the malediction of gods 
and of poets." A humourous allusion. The walls of a poet's chamber, 
observes Francis, seem built with the curse of the gods upon them, since 
the gods have subjected them to the capricious passions of the rhyming 
tribe, who curse and strike them in their poetical fits, as if they were the 
cause of their sterility. 

9 — 16. 9. Atqui vul'us erat, &c. "And yet thou hadst the air of one 
that threatened many fine things, if once thy little villa should receive 
thee, disengaged from other pursuits, beneath its comfortable roof." — 
Minantis. Compare the scholiast: pollicentis, promittentis. The allu- 
sion is to the promised results of the poet's labours. — 10. Vacuum. Sup- 
ply the ellipsis as follows : te vacuum rerum. — Tepido. Alluding to the 
comfortable accommodations at the poet's Sabine villa. — 11. Quorsum 
pertinuit stipare, &c. "What good purpose has it answered to pack 
Plato on Menander, Eupolis on Archilochus." The allusion is to the 
works of these writers, which the poet is supposed to have packed up and 
brought with him into the country. — 13. Invidiam placare paras, virtute re- 
licta ? "Art thou attempting to allay the odium excited against thee, by 
abandoning the path of virtue?" i. e. art thou endeavouring to allay the 
odium excited by thy satirical writings, by abandoning altogether that 
branch of composition? The writing of satires is here dignified with the 
appellation of " virtus," its object being to lash the vices and the failings 
of men. — 15. Quidquid. Understand laudis. — Vila meliore. "In the 
better period of thy life," in those better days when spiritless and indolent 
feelings had not as yet come upon thee, and when thou wert wont to lash 
with severity the failings of men. — 16. Ponendum. "Must be given up." 

17 — 25. 17. Donent ton sore. Horace pretends not to be aware that 
Damasippus is a philosopher and therefore nourishes a length of beard, 
but charitably wishes him a barber, who may remove from his chin its 
unseemly covering, to the uncouth appearance of which the want of per- 
sonal cleanliness had, no doubt, largely contributed. — )8. Postquam omnis 
res mea Janum, &c. "After all my fortunes were shipwrecked at the 
middle Janus." — Janum ad medium. By this is meant what we would 
term, in modern parlance, "the exchange." In the Roman Forum, be- 
sides the temple of Janus there were three arches or arcades dedicated 
to this god, standing at some distance apart, and forming by their line 
of direction a kind of street, as it were, (foi, strictly speaking, there 
were no streets in the Forum). The central one of these arches 
was the usual rendezvous of brokers and monej lenders, and was 
termed medius Janus, while the other two were denominated, from 
'•their respective positions, summus Janus, and infimus, or imus Ja- 



490 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE III. 

nus. Damasippus speaks of himself as having become bankrupt at 
the middle one of these. — 19. .dliena vegotia euro, exevssus propriis. 
" I attend to the concerns of other people, being completely detached from 
any of my own," i. e. having none of my own to occupy me. — 20. Olim 
nam quarere amabam, &c. With quarere supply ces. The allusion here 
js 1. 1 vessels of bronze, and Damasippus, describing the line of employ- 
ment which he had pursued up to his bankruptcy, makes himself out to 
have been what we would term a virtuoso, and a dealer in antiques. — 21. 
Quo vafer ille pedes, &c Sisyphus was the most crafty chieftain of the 
heroic age. A bronze vessel" as old as his time would meet with many 
sad unbelievers among the common herd of nun.— 22. Infabre. "With 
inferior skill. — Durius. " In too rough a mould." This term is directly 
opposed to mollius. — 23. Cattidus Attic signo, &c. ''Being a connoisseur 
in smh things, I estimated this statue at a hundred thousand sesterces." 
With miltia centum supply sestertium or minimum. As regards the use oi 
the verb pono in this passage, compare the analogous expression pmure 
prelium, to estimate, or set a value upon. — 25. Uumlucro. "At a bar- 
gain." — Untie frequentia Mercuriale, &c. "Whence the crowds attend- 
ing auction in the public streets gave me the surname of Mercury's fa- 
vourite." — Frequentia compita. '-Literally, "the crowded streets." The 
allusion, however, is to the crowds attending sales at auction in the public 
streets. Damasippus, a professed connoisseur, made it a point to attend 
every sale of this kind, however low, in the hope of picking up bargains. 

27 — 36. 27. Morbi purgatum Ulius. The genitive is here used by a 
Graicism, KaOapOevra 7% \>6oov. Horace alludes to the antiquarian ma 
nia under which Damasippus had laboured. — Jltqui. "Why." — 28. 
\ in cor trajecto, kc. " As is wont to happen, when the pain of 
the afflicted side or head passes into the stomach." Ccr is often used 
by the Latin writers, in imitation of the Greek KapSla, to signify the sto- 
mach. Damasippus wishes to convey the idea, that his antiquarian fit 
was converted into a philosophical one, just as plenrisy sometimes 
changes into a cardiac affection. — 31. Jluic. This may either refer to 
the phrensied patient just spoken of, or, what is far more spirited, to the 
poet himself. — 32. Stullique prope omnes, i. e. et prope omnes, ulpete stulti. 
The wise man of the stoics is alone excepted. Consult note on 
Satire 1. 3. 77. — 33. Si quid Stertinius veri crepat. "If Sterti- 
nius utters any truth." The use of the indicative in this passage is in- 
tended to express the full reliance which Damasippus has in the infalli- 
bility of Stertinius. This Stertinius was a stoic of the day, who left 
behind him, according to the scholiast, two hundred and twenty vo- 
lumes on the philosophy of his sect, written in the Latin tongue ! — GVc- 
pat. The peculiar force of this verb, in the present instance, is lost in 
a translation. It refers to the authoritative tone assumed by Stertinius, 
in uttering his oracles of wisdom. — 35. Sapientem pascere barbam. " To 
nurse a philosophic beard," i. e. a long and flowing one, the badge of 
wisdom. — 36. Fabricio ponte. This bridge connected the island in the 
Tiber with the left bank of that river. It was erected by L. Fabricius, 
superintendant of Ways, in the consulship of d. Lepidus and M. Lol- 
lius, as an inscription still remaining on one of the arches testifies. The 
modern name is Ponte di quattro Capi, " the bridge of the four heads," 
from a four-faced statue of Janus erected near it. — Non tristem. " With 
my mind at ease." No longer plunged in melancholy. 

37 — 45. 37. Operto capile. Among the ancients, all who had de- 
voted themselves to death in any way, or on any account, previously 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE III. 491 

covered the head. Damasippus intended to destroy himself, on the oc- 
casion alluded to, in consequence of the ruin of his private affairs. — 38. 
Dexter stetit. "He stood, on a sudden, by my side, like a guardian ge- 
nius." — Cave. The final vowel of this word is short, the form here em- 
ployed being deduced from the old cavo, -ere, the primitive and stem- 
conjugation of caveo-ere. — 39. Pudor mahts. " A false shame." — 43. 
Mala stultitia. " Vicious folly." — 44. Chrysippi porticus el grex. "The 
portico, and the school of Chrysippus." The ignorant stoic here con- 
founds the disciple with the master, and, instead of referring to Zeno, 
the actual founder of the Stoic sect, names Chrysippus as such. — 45. 
Jlutmnat. "Deem." — Htzc formula. "This definition." — Tenet. In 
the sense of complectitur. 

48 — 60. 48. Velut silvis, ubi passim, &c. The train of ideas is as fol- 
lows : As is accustomed to happen in woods, where those who wander 
about generally all go wrong ; this one mistakes his way to the left, that 
one to" the right : each errs, but in a different way from the other: in this 
same manner, (hoc modo,) believe thyself to be insane; while he who 
laughs at thee, is in no respect whatever a wiser man than thou art, and 
will be himself laughed at by others as not in possession of his senses. — 53. 
Gaudam trahat. A metaphor, taken, as the scholiast informs us, from a 
custom among children, who tied a tail behind a person whom they had a 
mind to laugh at. — 56. Huic varum. " The opposite to this." — 59. Serva 
"Take care." — 60. Non ma^is audierit quam Fufius ebrms olim, &c. The 
idea of a person madly making his way amid such dangers as those men- 
tioned in the text, deaf to all the exclamations and warnings of his friends, 
naturally reminds Stertinius of the laughable anecdote relative to the actor 
Fufius. In the play of Pacuvius, entitled Iliona, Fufius had to support 
the character of this princess, and in the scene where the shade of her son, 
who had been murdered by Polymnestor, king of Thrace, appeared to her, 
and began to address her in the words Mater, te appdlo, proceeding to re- 
late what had happened to him, and entreating the rites of burial, the 
drunken Fufius, who should have awakened and sprung from his couch 
at the very first words Mater, te appello, slept away in good earnest, while 
Catienus, the performer who acted the part of the shade, and the entire 
audience after him, (Catienis mille ducentis,) kept calling out the words 
to no purpose, the intoxicated actor being too soundly asleep to hear 
them. 

61 — 62. 61. Quum Monam edormit. "When he sleeps through the 
part of Iliona." — Catienis mille ducentis. The audience joined in the cry 
of Catienus to the sleeping performer, and hence they are pleasantly styled 
so many Catienuses. — 62. Huic ego vulgus, &c. The construction is as fol- 
lows : Ego docebo cunctum vulgus insanire errorem similem huic errori. " I 
will now show that the common herd of mankind are all similarly insane," 
i. e. resemble either one or the other of the two instances which I have 
cited. The term vxdgus is here purposely employed, as keeping up the 
distinction between the wise man of the stoics and the less favoured 
portion of his fellow-creatures. 

64 — 72. 64. Insanit veleres statuas, &c. Stertinius now proceeds to 
prove his assertion, that the common herd of mankind are all mad. The 
train of ideas is as follows: Damasippus is mad in buying up old sta- 
tues: the creditor of Damasippus, who lends him the money wherewith 
to make these purchases, is also mad, for he knows very well it will 
never be repaid ; usurers are mad in putting out money at interest with 



492 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE III. 

worthless and unprincipled men, for, however careful they may be In 
taking written obligations for repayment, these Proteus-like rogues will 
slip through their ringers. Finally, he is mad who lends money at such 
an exorbitant rate of interest that it can never be paid by the debtor. — 
65. Esto. Jicclpe, quod numquam, &c. An indirect mode is adopted to 
prove the insanity of Damasippus's creditor. The poet, for argument 
sake, concedes at first that he is sane (Esto. " Suppose for a moment 
that he is so,") only to prove him eventually altogether out of his senses. 
Jt' 1 tell thee, observes Stertinius, to take what 1 know thou wilt never 
be able to repay, will it be madness in thee to accept of it? Will it 
not rather be the height of madness for thee to refuse such an offer? It 
is I, then, that am mad in acting this part to thee. — 68. Prcesens Mercu- 
rins. " Propitious Mercury." — 69. Scribe decern a Nerio : nan est satis, 
ice. \\ uli scribt supply tabulas. Stertinius is now supposed to address 
some sordid usurer, whom he advises to take care and not be over- 
reached in lending out his money. " Write ten obligations for the re- 
payment of the money, after the form devised by Nerius: 'tis not 
enough : Add the hundred covenants of the knotty Cicuta," i. e. make 
the individual, who borrows of thee, sign his name, not to one merely, 
but to ten obligations foi repayment, and lei these be drawn up after 
the form which Nerius, craftiest of bankers, has devised, and which he 

compels his own debtors to sign. Still, this form, cautious and guarded 
as it is, will not prove strong enough. Add to it the hundred covenants 
of the banker < hcuta, with which, as if they were so many knots, he 
ties down his debtors to their agreements. — 72. Mails rideutem alienis. 
'• I .aughing with the cheeks of another." Commentators differ in their 
explanation of ibis phrase. According to some it means "laughing 
immoderately :" others take it to denote "laughing at the expense of 
another," while a thud class render it, "forcing a laugh." 

75 — 88. 75. Putidius mullo cerebrum est, &c. " Believe me, the brain 
of Perillius is by far the more addle of the two, who lends thee money 
which thou canst never repay," i. e. lends it at such an exorbitant rate of 
interest as to preclude the possibility of its being ever repaid. Perillius 
appears to have been a noted usurer. — 76. Diclantis. 'X his term here 
refers literally to the creditor's dictating the form of the written obligation 
for repayment This the borrower writes and signs. If the money is 
repaid, another writing is signed by both the borrower and lender. Hence 
scribere, 'to borrow;" and rescribere, "to repay," — 77. jiudire ataue 
togam jubeo compenere, &c. Thus far, the examples of insanity, which 
Stertinius has adduced, have grown naturally out of the particular case 
of Damasippns. He now enters on a wider field of observation. The 
expression to^am componere refers to an attentive hearer. — 80. Calet. In 
the sense of cestua'.— 82. EUebori. Hellebore was prescribed in cases 
of madness.— 83. Jlnticyram omnem. " The whole produce of Anticyra." 
There were two Anticyras in the ancient world, one in Thessaly and the 
other in Phocis. The first of these places was situate at the mouth of 
the river Sperchius. It was said to produce the genuine hellebore. The 
second lay on a bend of the Sinus Corinthiacus, east of the Sinus Crissaeus. 
It was 'also celebrated for its producing hellebore. — 84. Hozredes 
StabeH summam, &c. " The heirs of Staberius engraved the sum he left 
them on his tomb." With summam the genitive haireditalis may be sup- 
plied .—85. Gladiatorum dare centum, Sac. " They were bound by the 
will to exhibit a hundred pair of gladiators to the people." The term 
damnati contains an allusion to the form of the will, in which the testator 
required any thing of his heirs, Hares metis damnas esto, or Hccredes met 



EXP1.ANAT0RT NOTES. — BOOfc II. SATIKE III. 4D3 

damnas snnto. — 86. Arri. Arrius appears to have been a noted gourmand 
of the day, and an entertainment such as he should direct, would be. of 
course, no unexpensive one. — 87. Frumenti quantum metit Africa. Africa 
Propria was famed for its fertility. — Sive ego prave seu recte hoc volui, ne 
sis patriots mihi. The words employed by Staberius in his will. — 88. Ne 
sis patruus mihi. "Be not severe against me," i. e. Blame me not. 
Consult note on Sat. 2. 2. 97. 

89 — 103. 89. Hoc vidisse. "Foresaw this," i. e. that they would 
refuse to engrave the amount of the inheritance on his tomb, unless thev 
were forced to do it by severe penalties. — 91. Quoad. To be pronounced, 
in metrical reading, as a word of one syllable. — 94. Videretur. For the 
common form visits esset. — 98. Hoc. Alluding to his accumulated riches: 
and in this we see the reason for the injunction which Staberius laid upon 
his heirs. As he himself thought every thing of wealth, he conceived 
that posterity would adopt the same standard of excellence, and entertain 
the higher opinion of him, the greater they saw the sum to be which he 
had amassed during his life, and left by testament to his heirs. — 99. Quid 
simile isli Grcecus Aristippus. "What did the Grecian Aristippus do like 
this man," i. e. how unlike to this was the conduct of the Grecian Aristippus. 
The philosopher here named was founder of the Cyrenaic sect, which de- 
rived its name from his nativ-e city, Cyrene in Africa. Pleasure, according 
to him, is the ultimate object of human pursuit, and it is only in subserviency 
to this, that fame, friendship, and even virtue, are to be desired. Since 
pleasure then, argued our philosopher, is to be derived, not from the past 
or the future, but the present, a wise man will take care to enjoy the pre- 
sent hour, and will be indifferent to life or death. His doctrine was, of 
course, much decried by the stoics, and Stertinius, who was himself a 
stoic, has given an ill-natured turn to this story. — 103. Nil agit exemption 
litem quo I lite resolrit. "An instance, which solves one difficulty by 
raising another, concludes, thou wilt say, nothing." Stertinius here anti- 
cipates an objection that might be urged against his mode of reasoning, 
and in so doing indulges his feelings of opposition to the doctrines of 
Aristippus. The excessive regard for wealth, which characterised Stabe- 
rius, cannot be censured by adducing the opposite example of Aristippus, 
for this last, according to him, is equally indicative of an insane and dis 
tempered mind. 

104 — 128. 104. Si quis emat citharas, &c. Stertinius allows the force 
of the objection, that it is impossible to decide who is the greater fool, 
Staberius or Aristippus ; but he' now gives other instances to determine 
the question against the former. Money to a miser is like an instrument 
of music in the hands of a man who knows not how to play on it. They 
both owe their harmony to the art of using them. — 105. Nee studio ci- 
tharae, nee Musae deditus ulli. "Neither from any love for the lyre, nor 
because attached to any Muse," i. e to any branch of the musical art— 
106. Formas. " Lasts."— 108. Undique. "By all."— 110. Compositis. 
"What he has accumulated." — 116. Nihil est. "Nay." — 117. Age. 
" Still farther." Equivalent to audi porro. — Undeoctoginta annos natus. 
" When seventy-nine years old." — 120. Nimirum. "No doubt." Iro- 
nical. — 121. Morbo jaxtatur eodem. " Labour under the same malady." 
Literally, " are tossed to and fro by the samedisease." — 123. Dis inimice. 
" Object of hatred to the gods themselves." — Ne tibi desit ? Supply an. 
il Or is it lest want may overtake thee ?" — 124. Quantulum enim summae, 
&c. The train of ideas, when the ellipsis is supplied, is as follows : 
Be of good cheer, old man ! want shall not come nigh thee ! " for, how 



494 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE III. 

little will each day take from thy accumulated hoard, if," &c. — 125. 
Ungere si caules oleo mtliore. Compare verse 59 of the preceding satire. 
— 127. Si quidvis satis est. "If any thing suffices," i. e. if our wants 
are so few as thou maintainest them to be. Covetous men have always 
some excuse at hand to palliate and disguise their avarice; that they 
deny themselves nothing necessary ; that nature is satisfied with a little, 
&c. Stertinius here retorts very severely upon them. If nature's wants 
are so few, why dost thou commit so many crimes to heap up riches, 
which thou canst be as well without. — 128. Tun? saints. We have here 
a new character introduced, and a new species of madness passes in 
review. 

131 — 141. 131. Quum laqueo uxorem interimis, &c. The scene again 
changes, and the stoic now addresses one who had strangled his wife, 
to gel into possession of a rich portion ; and another, who had poisoned 
his mother, in order to attain the sooner to a rich estate. Thus avarice 
is regularly conducted through all its degrees, until it ends in murder 
and parricide. — 132. Quid eniut ? " And why not." Stertinius, at first, 
ironically concedes, that the individual in question is not insane, be- 
cause, forsooth, he neither killed his mother at Argos, nor with the 
sword, as Orestes did. Just as if the place or instrument had any thing 
to do with the criminality of the act. After this, however, he changes 
to a serious tone, and proceeds to show that Orestes, in fact, was the 
least guilty of the two. The latter slew his mother, because, contrary 
to the common belief, the Furies maddened and impelled him to the 
drill: hut the moment his mother fell beneath his hand, insanity de- 
parted, and reason returned. Whereas the person whom the stoic ad- 
dresses, after having committed crimes to which nothing but his own 
inordinate desire of riches prompted him, is still as insane as ever in 
adding to his store. — 137. Quin ex quo habitus male tutcc, &c. " More- 
ox rr, from the time that Orestes was commonly regarded as of unsound 
mind." The expression male ttttcc is here equivalent to male sance. — 
139. Pyladeu- Pylades, the well-known and intimate friend of Orestes. 
— 141. Splenttidabilis. " High-toned choler." The stoic will have that 
Orestes was not insane after he had slain Clytemnestra, but only in a 
state of high-wrought excitement. This statement, so directly in oppo- 
sition to the common account, may either be a discovery of the stoic's 
himself, or else Horace may have followed a different tradition from that 
which Euripides adopted. 

142 — 155. 142. Pauper Opimius, &c. Another instance of the insa- 
nity of avarice. "Opimius, poor amid silver and gold hoarded up with- 
in." — 143. Veienlanum. Understand vimtm. The Veientan wine, his 
holiday-day beverage, is described by Porphyrion as being of the worst 
kind. — 144. Campana trulla. "From an earthen pot." The epithet 
Campana is here used to indicate the earthen-ware of Campania. The 
trulla was a species of pot or mug v^ed for drawing wine, and from 
which the liquor was also poured into the drinking-eups. The mean- 
ing of the text, therefore, is, not that Opimius drank his wine imme- 
diately from the trulla, but after it had been poured from such a vessel, 
(made of earthen-ware and not of better materials,) into the poculum or 
cup. — 147. Multwn celer atque Jidelis. " A man of great promptness 
and fidelity." — 152. Men' vivo? "What! while I am yet alive?" — 
Ut vivas igitur, vigila : hoc age. The reply of the physician. Connect 
the train of ideas as follows : In the state in which thou at present art, 
thou canst hardly be said to be alive : that thou mayest live therefore in 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE III. 495 

reality, arouse thyself, do this which I bid." — 154. Ruenti. In the sense 
of dejicienti. The term is here employed on account of its direct oppo- 
sition to fultura. — 155. Hoc ptisanariwn oryzoz. "This decoction of 



160 — 166. 160. Cur, Stoice. Stertinius here puts the question to 
himself, and immediately subjoins the answer. — 161. Non est cardiacus. 
" Has nothing the matter with his stomach." The cardiacus morbus is 
a disorder attended with weakness and pain of the stomach, debility of 
body, great sweatings, &c. — Craterum. Craterus was a physician, of 
whom Cicero speaks in a flattering manner in his correspondence with 
Atticus (Ep. adMt.12. 13. and. 14.)— 162. Negabit. scil. Craterus.— 
'64. JEquis. In the sense of Propitiis. — 165. Porcum. As all the good 
and bad accidents that happened in families, were generally attributed 
to the household deities, Stertinius advises the man, who by the favour 
of these gods is neither perjured nor a miser, gratefully to sacrifice a hog 
to them, which was their usual oblation. — 166. Naviget Anticyram. 
Compare note on verse S3. The expression naviget Anticyram (or. Anti- 
cyras) is one of a proverbial character, and equivalent to " insanus est." 
— Baratkro. "On the greedy and all-devouring gulf of the populace." 
The populace, constantly demanding new gratifications from the candi- 
dates for their favour, and never satiated, are here forcibly compared to 
a deep pit or gulf, into which many things may be thrown, and yet no 
perceptible diminution in depth present itself. 

169 — 171. 169. Dives antiquo censu. " Rich according to the esti- 
mate of former times," i. e. who in the earlier and simpler periods of the 
Roman state, when riches were less abundant, would have been regarded 
as a wealthy man." — Divisse. Contracted from divisisse. — 171. Talos 
nucesq.ue. "Thy tali and nuts," i. e. thy playthings. The tali here 
meant were a kind of bones, with which children used to play. 

172 — 186. 172. Sinulaxo. "Inthebosomof thy gown left carelessly 
open." Aulus carried about his playthings in the bosom or sinus of his 
praetexta, which he allowed to hang in a loose and careless manner 
about him. The anxious father saw in this, and in what immediately 
follows, (donare el ludere), the seeds, as he feared, of prodigality in after- 
life. — Donare et ladere. " Give them away to others, and lose them at 
play." — 173. Tristan. "With an anxious brow." — 174. Vesania dis~ 
cors. "Different kinds of madness," i. e. the father feared lest Aulus 
should become a prodigal, and Tiberius a miser." — 175. Nomentanum. 
Consult note on Sat. 1. 1. 101. — Cicutam. Compare note on verse 69. 
— 178. Coercet. "Assigns as a limit," i. e. deems sufficient. What is 
sufficient to answer all the demands of nature. — 180. Aedilis, fueritve 
vestnlm praetor. The offices of aediie and praetor being the principal 
avenues to higher preferment, and those who were defeated in suing for 
them finding it difficult, in consequence, to attain any office of magis- 
tracy for the time to come, it was a necessary result that canvassing for 
the respective dignities of aediie and praetor, should open a door to lar- 
gesses and heavy expenditure, for the purpose of conciliating the good- 
will of the voters. — 181. Intestabilis et sacer. " Infamous and accursed." 
The epithet intestabilis, which both here and in general is equivalent 
simply to infamis, denotes, in its proper and special sense, an individual 
who is neither allowed to give evidence in a court of justice, to make a 
will, be a witness to one, or receive any thing by testamentary bequest. 
— 182. In cicere atquefaba, &c. Alluding to largesses bestowed on the 
45 



496 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE III. 

populace. Horace here puts forlarges8es in general those of a particri 
lar kind, though of an earlier date. — 1S3. Latus. " Puffed up with im- 
portance." — Et aeneus ut stes. " And that thou inayest stand in brass," 
i. e. mayest have a brazen statue raised to thy honour, and as a memo- 
rial of thy liberality. — ]S4. Nudus agris, nudus nummis, &c. Alluding 
to the ruinous effects of largesses on the private resources of the indivi- 
dual who bestows them. — 185. Scilicet. Ironical. — Jigrippa. M. Vip- 
sanius Agrippa, the illustrious Roman, having been elected aedileA. U. 
C. 721, displayed so much magnificence in the celebration of the Circen- 
sian games, and in the other spectacles which be exhibited, and also 
evinced such munificent liberality in the public buildings with which ho 
caused the city to be adorned, as to be every where greeted with the 
loudest acclamations by the populace. — 186. Jlstula vulpes. Supply ue/- 
vli, or some equivalent particle. " Like a cunning fox having imitated 
a noble lion." 

187 — 191. 187. Ne quit humasse velit, &c. Stertinius now brings 
forward a new instance of insanity, that of no less a personage than the 
royal Agamemnon himself, in offering up his own daughter as a victim 
to Diana. The transition at first view appears abrupt, but when we 
call to mind that this new example is aimed directly at the criminal ex- 
cesses to which ambition and a love of glory lead, the connexion be 
twecn it and the concluding part of the previous narrative becomes im- 
mediately apparent. A man from the lower rank is here introduced, 
who inquires of Agamemnon why the corpse of Ajax is denied the rites 
of burial. The monarch answers, that there is a just cause of anger in 
his breast against the son of Telamon, because the latter, while under 
the influence of phrenzy, slew a flock of sheep, calling out at the same 
time that he was consigning to death Ulysses, Menelaus, and Agamem- 
non. The interrogator then proceeds to show, in reply to this defence 
on the part of the Grecian king, that the latter was far more insane 
himself, when he gave up his daughter Iphigenia to the knife of the sa- 
crificer. — 188. Rex sum. "lama king," i. e. I do this of my own royal 
pleasure, and no one has a right to inquire into the motives of my con- 
duct. — Et cequam ran imperito. The humility of his opponent, in seem- 
ing to allow his royal manner of deciding the question, now extorts a 
second and more condescending reply from the monarch. — 189. Invito. 
" With impunity." — 191. Di tibi dent, &c. Compare Homer, II. 1. 18. 

192—206. 192. Consulere. " To ask questions." Both consulo and 
respondco, as used in the present passage, are terms borrowed from the 
practice of the Roman bar. — 145. Gaudeat id popidus Priami, &c Com- 
pare Homer II. 1. 255. ij kcv yvd/jaai ITpia^of, Tlpta/toto te 7ra?c5«. — 197. Mille 
avium insanus, &c. In this and the following line we have the reply of 
Agamemnon, but almost the very first word he utters (insanus) -excuses, 
in fact, Ajax and condemns himself. A man, as Sanadon remarks, who 
revenges himself upon the corpse of an insane person, must be more in- 
sane himself than the individual was who injured him. — 199. Natam. 
Iphigenia. — Jiulide. Aulis, on the coast of Boeotia, and almost opposite 
Chalcis in Euboea, is celebrated in history as the rendezvous of the 
Grecian fleet, when about to sail for Troy. — 200. Improbe. " Wicked 
man." — 201. Rectum animi. "Thy right, mind." — Quorsum insanus? 
" Why is the hero styled by thee insane ?" The interrogator demands 
of the monarch, why he called Ajax insane when speaking of him in 
relation to the affair of the sheep. Compare verse 197. Quorswm is 
here equivalent to the simple cur, an usage of frequent occurrence in 



EXPLANATORY NCTKS. — BOOK II. SATIRE III, 497 

Cicero. — 203. XJxore et gnato. Tecmessa and Eurysaces. — Malamul- 
ta precatus Atridis. " Though he uttered many imprecations against the 
Atridas." — 204. Ipsum Ulixen. " Ulysses himself," who was the cause 
of his madness. — 205. V erum ego, ut ha rentes, &c. Agamemnon speaks, 
and refers to the well-known story respecting the sacrifice of his daugh- 
ter. — Adverso litore. " On an adverse shore." — 206. Divos. The com- 
mon account assigns the adverse winds, which detained the Grecian 
fleet, to the instrumentality of Diana alone : here, however, the allusion 
is not only to Diana, but to the other deities, who are supposed to have 
been requested by Diana, and to have aided her in the accomplishment 
of her wishes. 

209 — 222. 208. Qui species alias, &c. The construction is as follows : 
Ille, qui capiet species rerum, alias veri, aliasque sceleris, permixtas tumultu 
affectuum, habebitur commotvs. "He, who shall form in mind ideas of 
things, partly true and partly criminal, confounded together amid the tu- 
mult of his passions, will be regarded as a man of disordered intellect," 
i. e. he, who, blinded by passion, confounds together the ideas of things, 
and mistakes what is criminal for what is right and proper, will justly be 
accounted mad. This definition suits the conduct of Agamemnon as for- 
cibly as it does that of Ajax. For it will make no difference, according to 
the stoic, whether a foolish ambition, or whether anger, be the impelling 
cause. — 210. Stultitiane an Ira. Compare the remark of the scholiast. 
" Stultitiane ut tu ; an ira, ut Ajax." — 212. Ob titulos inanes. Alluding to 
the ambitious feelings of Agamemnon, and to his desire of distinction both 
with the present age and with posterity. — 213. Quum tumidum est. 
" When it is swollen with ambition." — 214. Si quis lectica, &c. The ple- 
beian gives his royal antagonist no quarter. He has already shown that his 
folly was criminal, he novv proves that it was ridiculous. — 215. Aurvm. 
"Golden ornaments." — 217. Interdicto hide omne, &c. " The praetor, by 
a decree, will deprive this madman of all control over his property, and 
the care of it will devolve on his relations of sound mind." We have here 
an amusing instance of the license taken by the poet with the "mas Ro- 
manus," or, Roman custom of applying to other nations, and to other 
times, expressions and epithets which suit only the Roman state. — 221. 
Qui sceleratus, etfuriosus erit. "He who is wicked will also be mad," i. e. 
every wicked man is at the same time a madman. — 222. Qjuem cepit vitrea 
fama, &c. " Around the head of him whom glittering fame has captivated, 
Bellona, delighting in scenes of bloodshed, has rolled her thunders," i. e. 
the man whom a love of glory seizes, is also mad, for that glory can only 
be attained by wading through seas of blood. Consult, as regards the 
epithet vitrea, the note on Ode, 1. 17. 20. As regards the expression cir- 
cumtonuit, it may be remarked, that the ancients ascribed to thunder a 
maddening or deranging influence on the mind. Hence, the words hunc 
circumtonuit Bellona, become, in a free translation, equivalent to, "him 
Bellona has thundered out of his senses and plunged into frenzy." 

224 — 229. 224. Nunc age, luxuriam, &c. Stertmius, intending next 
to prove that spendthrifts and prodigals are mad, returns to Nomenta- 
nus, whom he had brought upon the scene in the 175th verse. — Arripe. 
" Arraign." — 225. Vinctt. " Will prove." Equivalent to argumentis 
probabit. — 228. Tusci turba impia vici. " The worthless crew of the 
Tuscan street." The Tuscan street was a little to the south of the Vi- 
tus Jugarius, and consequently nearer the Palatine. It appears to have 
led from the forum to that part of the city called the Velabrum, and 
from thence to the Circus Maximus — 229. Fartor. " The poulterer." Li- 



498 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE III. 

terally " the fowl-crammer." The term fartor also denotes "a sausage- 
maker," aWavroniiXiji. — Cum Velabro. "With the venders of the Vela- 
brum," i. e. with those who sell various kinds of food in the quarter ot 
the city denominated Velabrum. The name of Velabrum was applied 
generally to all the ground which lies on the left bank of the Tiber, be- 
tween the base of the Capitol and the Aventine. — Macellum. Under 
this name were comprehended the various market-places where different 
commodities were sold. These were all contiguous to one another, 
along the Tiber. 

231—246. 231 . Verba facit leno. " The pimp speaks for the rest."— 
233. JEqitus. Ironical. — 234. In nive Lucana. Lucania was famed for 
its wild boars. — Ocreatus. " Booted." — 237. Sume tibi decie.t. With 
decies supply centena millia sesterttilm. — 238. Unde. Equivalent to e 
eujus domo. — 239. Filius JEsopi detractam, &c. We have here a new in- 
stance of prodigality, rivalling even that of Nomcntanus, in the case of 
Clodius, son of the famous tragedian yEsopus. The story told of him 
by Stertinius will remind us of the one relative to Cleopatra. Pliny, 
however, assigns to Clodius the merit of having invented this piece of 
extravagance, though Cleopatra surpassed the Roman spendthrift in the 
value of the pearlwhich she dissolved. — Metella. Who this female was 
is uncertain. Some suppose her to be the one of whom Cicero speaks, 
Ep.ad-ill. 11.23. She must have been wealthy, since none but the 
richest females were able to wear such expensive ornaments as those to 
which the story alludes. — 240. Decies solidum. " A whole million of 
sesterces." — 241. Qi« sanior, ac si. " In what respect less insane, than 
if." — 24-3. Quinti progenies Jlrri. Compare note on verse 86. — 244. Nc- 
quitia el nvgis, &c. " Most closely assimilated to each other in profli- 
gacy and folly, and in perverted desires." Gemellum is here equivalent 
to simillimwn, and agrees as an epithet with par. — 246. Quorsum abconl ? 
&c. "To which class are they to go? Are they to be marked with 
chalk as sane, or with charcoal as insane ?" Among the Romans, white 
was the lucky colour, black the unlucky. Hence things of a favourable 
or auspicious nature were denoted by the former, and those of an oppo- 
site character by the latter. 

247—253. 247. Jledificare casas. "To build baby-houses."— 248. 
Ludere par impar. " To play at even and odd." — 249. Jlmentiu verset. 
"Madness will be the impelling motive," i. e. all will pronounce him 
mad. — 250. Si puerilius his ratio, &c. " If reason shall clearly prove, 
that to love is more puerile even than these, and that it makes no differ- 
ence, whether thou raise, in the dust, such childish works as thou for- 
merly didst, when three years old, or," &c. Stertinius here passes to 
the madness of those who are enslaved by the passion of love. The 
question put by the stoic is as follows : If reason shall clearly establish 
the point, that they who love are guilty of even greater puerilities than 
those just enumerated, will it not be better for lovers to follow the ex- 
ample of Polemon, and, by changing entirely their feelings and senti- 
ments, enter on a wiser and a better course of life ? — 253. Quod olim 
mutatus Polemon. " What the reformed Polemon once did." Polemon 
was an Athenian of distinction, who in his youth had been addicted to 
infamous pleasures. As he was one morning, about the rising of the 
sun, returning home from the revels of the night, clad in a loose robe, 
crowned with garlands, strongly perfumed, and intoxicated with wine, 
he entered the school of Xenocrates, with the intention of turning the 
philosopher and his doctrine to ridicule. The latter, however, dexte- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE HI. 499 

rously changed his discourse to the topics of temperance and modesty, 
which he recommended with such strength of argument and energy of 
language, that, Polemo, heartily ashamed of the contemptible figure 
which he made in so respectable an assembly, took his garland from his 
head, concealed his naked arm under his cloak, assumed a sedate and 
thoughtful aspect, and, in short, resolved from that hour to relinquish his 
licentious pleasures, and devote himself to the pursuit of wisdom. With 
such ardour did he apply himself to his studies as to succeed Xenocrates 
in his school. 

254 — 257. 254. Insignia morbi. " The marks of thy distemper." 
The distemper here alluded to is the mania of debauchery and illicit 
pleasure. — 255. Fasciolas, cubital, focalia. " Thy rollers, elbow-cushion, 
mufflers." These properly were confined to women, and only adopted 
by the more effeminate of the other sex. The Fasciolae were pieces of 
cloth or other material, with which the effeminate youth of the day, in 
imitation of the women, covered their arms and legs, wrapping them 
around their limbs like bands or rollers. The Romans, it will be recol- 
lected, wore neither stockings nor any under-garment for the hips and 
thighs. — The Cubital was a cushion or small pillow, for supporting the 
elbow of the effeminate when reclining at an entertainment. Some, 
however, understand by the term a kind of fore-sleeve, extending from 
the elbow downward, and others a species of short cloak, descending as 
far as the elbow, and with which the head might be covered, if requisite ; 
used properly by those who were in feeble health. — The Focalia (quasi 
faucalia, a faucibus,) kept the neck and throat warm. — 257. Impransi 
magistri. " Of the sober sage." 

259 — 265. 259. Ji motor exclusus qui distat? "How does a discarded 
lover differ from this ?" — 260. Jlgit ubi secum. "When he deliberates 
with himself." This whole passage is an imitation of a scene in the 
Eunuchus of Terence (Jet. 1 Sc. 1.) where Phsedria, conceiving him- 
self slighted by Thais, is debating whether he shall answer a summons 
from her or not, while the slave Parmeno tries to urge on his master 
to firmness of resolve, and a more rational course of conduct. — 262. 
Jfe nunc. For ne nunc quidem, which Terence has. — 263. Finire 
dolores. "To put an end to my sufferings," i. e. by abandoning for 
ever the author of them. — 265. Qua. res nee modum h'abet, &c. "That 
which has not in itself either measure or advice, refuses to be controlled 
by reason and by measure." Horace here imitates in some degree the 
language of Terence. 

270—278. 270. Reddere certa sibi. "To render steady and fixed."— 
Jlc si insanire paret cerla ratione modoque. "Than if he try to play the 
madman in accordance with fixed reason and measure," i. e. by right reason 
and rule. — 272. Quid ? quum Picenis, &c. The stoic now passes to 
another kind of insanity connected with the passion of love, the practising, 
namely, of various foolish and superstitious contrivances, for the purpose 
of ascertaining if one's passion will be successful. Under this head he al- 
ludes to a common mode of divining, adopted in such cases by lovers. 
They placed the seeds of apples between their fore-finger and thumb, and 
shot them forth in an upward direction. If the seed struck the ceiling of 
the chamber, it was considered an excellent omen. — 272. Picenis pomis. 
The apples of Picenum, as being of the best kind, are here put, xar efyxnv, 
for any. — 273. Penes te es ? "Art thou in thy senses." — 274. Qumnbalba 
feris annoso verba palato. An hypallage, for quum balbis verbis feris anno- 
sum palatum. The allusion is now to some " senex amator." — 275. JEdifi- 



500 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE III. 

cante casas. Compare note on verse 241. — Adde cruorem stuliiticc. " To 
the folly of love add the bloodshed which it often occasions." — 276. Mque 
igliem gladio scnitare modo. " And only stir the fire with a sword." JNot 
to stir the fire with a sword (wSp fiax^Pf n>) cKaXeCeiv) was a precept of 
Pythagoras, by which the philosopher meant that we ought not to pro- 
voke a man in a passion, or throw him into a more violent rage ; and far- 
ther, that a man transported by passion ought not to give into every thing 
that his rage dictates. Horace here applies this saying to the conduct of 
lovers, whose passions often carry them to murders, bloodshed, and all 
manner of extravagance ; often, too, their rage turns against themselves, 
as in the case of Marius, mentioned immediately after, who, in a tit of 
jealousy, slew his mistress, and then in despair threw himself headlong 
from a rock. — 277. Hellade percussa .Marius, &c. Compare the scholiast: 
"Marius quidam ob amoris impatientiam HeUadem puellam occidit, quod ab 
ea umtettmeretur." — 278. Cerrihisfuit ? " Was he out of his senses ?" — 
An commolx crimine mtnlis, &c. Every wicked man, observes Francis, is 
a fool, for vice and folly are synonymous terms. But mankind endeavour 
to divide these ideas, thus nearly related, by giving to each of them, at par- 
ticular times, a different name. As, when they would find Marius guilty 
of murder, they would acquit him of madness. But the stoic condemns 
him of both, since, in his pliilosophy, murder and madness are "kindred 
terms" (cognuta vocabitla.) 

281 — 290. 281. Libertinus erat, qui circnm, &c. The stoic now directs 
his attack against those who display their folly by seeking for things that 
are inconsistent with their condition, or by addressing vows to the gods 
that are un reasonable and absurd. There is not a word here, as Dacier 
well remarks, which does not aggravate the folly of this conduct on the 
part of the frecdman. He was old, senex, and should have better known 
what prayer to make ; sucus, his folly was not an effect of wine; laulis 
manibus, he washed his hands with temper, and a real spirit of religion : 
and yet he makes this extravagant petition, only because the gods are 
able to grant it, not that it is in itself just and reasonable. — Compita. In 
the compita, or places where two or more roads met, Augustus ordered 
statues of the public Penates to be erected, that public worship might be 
openly rendered to them by those who passed by. — Unum, unum me sur- 
pile morti. " Save me, alone, from death." Surpite is for surripite. — 283. 
Quiddam magnum a (dens. What magnum refers to, the poet purposely 
leaves uncertain. The allusion, probably, is to some vow. — i85. Nisi 
li, ig iosiis. .\ 1 asters were bound, if they warranted a slave at the time of 
sale, to make that warranty a full and perfect one. When the seller 
gave a false account, or omitted to mention any defects, the purchaser 
had a right of action against him. — 287. Menini. A passing thrust at some 
individual of the day, remarkable for his stupidity and folly, and who is 
here honoured by being placed at the head of a whole family as it were of 
fools. — 288. Jupiter, ingentts qui das, &c. A beautiful instance of super- 
stition is here given. A mother begs of Jupiter to cure her son, and at 
the same time makes avow, the fulfilment of which, on her part, will bring 
certain death to him. — 289. Menses jam quinque cubanlis. "Who has been 
lying sick now for five months." — 290. lib mane die quo tu indicis, &c. 
" On the morning of that day, when thou dost appoint a fast, naked shall 
he stand in the Tiber." The commentators seem generally agreed, that 
the day here alluded to is Thursday, (dies Jovis,) and that the satire of 
the poet is levelled at the superstitious observances, of Jewish and Egyp- 
tian origin, which had begun about this time to be introduced among the 
lower classes at Rome. The placing of her son in the Tiber appears to 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE HI. 501 

be an imitation, on the part of the superstitious mother, of some Egyptian 
rite. 

293 — 298. 293. Ex pmcipiti. " From his imminent danger," i. e. 
from the dangerous malady which threatens his life. — 295. Timor e deo- 
rum. Compare the Greek expression iutn^aijiovlq, — 296. Hccc mild Ster- 
tinius, &.c. Damasippus, after recounting his interview with Stertinius, 
and the remarks of the latter, now resumes the conversation in person 
with Horace, which had been broken off at verse 41. — 297. Anna. Al- 
luding to the precepts just laid down by the stoic. — 298. Totidem audiet. 
" Shall hear as much of himself." — Atque respicere ignoto discet, &c. 
" And shall learn to look back at the things which hang behind him, 
and of which he is ignorant." Some explain this passage by a reference 
to verse 53, " caudam trahat." It is better, however, to regard it, with 
other commentators, as an allusion to the fable of iEsop, which says, 
that Jupiter threw over the shoulder of every mortal two bags; that, 
the faults of his neighbour were put into the bag before him, and his 
own into that behind him. 

300 — 309. 300. Stoice, post damnum, kc. The poet wishes, as Tor- 
rentius and Sanadon remark, that Damasippus may sell every thing 
hereafter for more than it is worth ; a wish that insults the honest wis- 
dom of a philosopher. Thus, in covert terms, he advises him to return 
to his merchandise, and trouble his head no more about philosophy. 
Damasippus understands the ridicule, and is very sufficiently, though 
with not too much delicacy, revenged. — 303. Agaue. This female, in- 
spired with Bacchanalian fury, tore in pieces her son Pentheus, whom 
she mistook for a wild beast, and carried his head about with her as a 
trophy of the animal which she supposed had been destroyed by her. — 
308. JEdificas. Wieland supposes that Horace, about this time, was 
improving the appearance of his Sabine farm, which he had received as 
a gift from his patron, and converting the small farm-house that stood 
on it into a kind of villa. This excited the ill-will of his enemies at 
Rome, and, as Maecenas at this same time was erecting his splendid 
residence on the Esquiline, they charged the poet with an attempt to ape 
the conduct of his superiors. It is to this that Horace pleasantly al- 
ludes, under the character of Damasippus. — Longos. "The great." 
There is a pun in this word as opposed to moduli bipedalis, since it means 
tall as well as great. Horace was of diminutive stature, as he himself 
acknowledges. — 309. Et idem corpore major em, kc. "And yet thou art 
wont to laugh at the fierceness and the martial air of Turbo when in 
arms, as too great for his stature." Turbo was a brave but diminutive 
gladiator. 

312 — 324. 312. Te quoque varum est. Supply facere. Verum is here 
equivalent to rectum or ccquum. — 313. Tanto dissimilem et tanto cerlare 
minor em. " So unlike and so ill-fitted to vie with him." Minor em cerlare 
is a Grascism. — 314. Absentis ranee pxdlis, &c. Although this fable is 
not to be found among those that remain to us of iEsop's, yet there is 
every probability that it is one of his. Phsedrus, however, recounts the 
fable in a different manner. He tells us that a frog, seeing a bull in the 
meadow, became jealous of his bulk, and began to blow herself up that 
she might rival him. Horace's manner is by far the more lively. — 315. 
Mairi denarrat. " He tells his mother all the particulars." The verb 
denarro is happily chosen. — 316. Cognatos. " His brothers." Equiva- 
lent here to una seam natos. — 317. JVwm tantunu Supply ingens. — 321 



502 EXPLANATORY NOTES, — BOOK II. SATIRE IV. 

Oleum adde camino. A proverbial form of expression, and equivalent 
here to insanitx. nova alimenta prccbe. Horace, according to Dumasip- 
pus, is mad enough already: if, in addition to this, he goes on writing 
verses, the increase of madness will be so violent, that it may fitly be 
compared to the flame which fiercely arises when oil is thrown upon the 
fire. — 322. Qua si quis sanus fecit, sanus facts et tu. The idea intended 
to be conveyed is, that all poets are unsound in mind. The ancients 
wollld seem to have believed, indeed, that no one could either be a ge- 
nuine poet, or great in any department of exertion, unless he left the 
beaten track, and was influenced by some sort of feeling bordering on 
madness or melancholy. — 323. Non dico horrendamrabiem. "I say no- 
i In ng of thy dreadfully vindictive spirit." — Cultum major em censu. "Thy 
style of living, too expensive for thy fortune." — 324. Tineas, Damasippe, 
" Damasippus, do mind thy own affairs." Keep thyself to the 
things which concern thee, my good friend. — 326. major tandem par- 
ca , &.e. "0 greater madman of the two, spare at length one who is 
in this thy inferior." 



Satire 4. A person called Catius repeats to Horace the lessons he 
had received from an eminent gastronome, who, with the most important 
air, and in the most solemn language, had delivered a variety of culi- 
narv precepts. The satire is written with the view of ridiculing those 
who made a large portion of human felicity consist in the pleasures ol 
the table. This abuse of the genuine doctrines of Epicurus, the poet, 
himself a staunch adherent to the more refined forms of that philosophy, 
undertakes, for the honour of his master, to expose and deride. — Doring 
supposes that Horace, having frequently heard the secrets of the culi- 
nary art made a topic of conversation by some of the guests at the table 
of Maecenas, seizes the present opportunity of retaliating upon them, 
and that, under the fictitious name of Catius, he alludes to an entire 
class of persons of this stamp. According to Manso (Schriften und Ab- 
handlungen, p. 59.) Catius appears to have had for his prototype one 
Malius, a Roman knight, famed for his acquaintance with the precepts 
of the culinary art. 

1 — 7. 1. Unde et quo Catius? A familiar mode of salutation. The 
substitution of the third for the second person shows the intimacy of the 
parties. For a literal translation, supply the ellipsis as follows : xinde 
venit <t quo tendit Catius? — Non est mild tempus. Understand confabu- 
lamli. — 2. Ponere signa novis prccceptis. " To commit to writing some 
new precepts." An elegant form of expression, for iilteris mandare nova 
prcccepla. — Novis. This epithet implies, that the precepts in question 
are such as have never before been made known. — 3. Anytique reum. 
" And him who was accused by Anytus," i. e. Socrates, in the number 
of whose accusers was Anytus. This individual was a leather-dresser, 
who had long entertained a personal enmity against Socrates, for repre- 
hending his avarice, in depriving his sons of the benefits Of learning, 
that they might pursue the gains of trade. The other two accusers 
were, Melitus, a young rhetorician, and Lycon. — 4. Sic tempore lav o. 
" At so unseasonable a time." — 6. Interciderit tibi. " Shall have es- 
caped thee," i. e. in consequence of my interruption. — 7. Hoc. "This 
faculty," i. e. of recollecting, or recalling a thing to mind. The allusion 
is to memory, both natural and artificial. — Mirus utroque. Ironical. 

8 — 14. 8. Quin id erat cum, &c. " Why, I was just then consider- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE IT. 503 

ing, how I might retain them all in mind, as being nice matters, and 
expressed in nice language. — 10. Hominis. The individual who ut- 
tered these precepts to Catius. — 11. Celabitur auctor. The poet evi- 
dently had some person in view, to whom all could make the applica- 
tion, even though his name was kept back. It was most probably some 
man of rank, whom he did not wish openly to provoke. — 12. Longa qui- 
bus fades ovis erit, &c. " Remember to serve up those eggs which shall 
have a long shape, as being of a better taste, and more nutritious, than 
the round." Catius preserves a regular order in delivering his precepts. 
He begins with the first course of the Roman tables, then proceeds to 
the fruit, which was called the second table, and ends his remarks with 
some general reflections upon neatness and elegance. The R.oman 
entertainments, it will be recollected, always commenced with eggs. 
Consult note on Sat. 1. 3. 6. — 14. Namque marem cokibent callosa vitel- 
lum. " For they have a thicker white, and contain a male yolk." Li- 
terally, " for, being of a thicker white, they," &c. The verb cohibent is 
extremely well selected : the albumen of such eggs, being of a thicker 
consistence than that of others, keeps the yolk confined, as it were, on 
every side, and in a state of equilibrium. 

15 — 23. 15. Suburbano. "Raised in gardens near the city." — 16. 
Jrriguo nihil est elutius Iiorto. "Nothing is more insipid than the produce 
of a much- watered garden." This whole precept is denied by the com- 
mentators to be true, and they cite, in opposition to it, the remark of 
Palladius, 3. 24. Catius, however, may after all be right, if he means to 
contrast merely the productions of the fields, matured in due season, with 
the forced offspring of the gardens. — 48. Ne gallina malum responset, &c. 
"In order that the hen served up to him may not prove tough, and badly 
answer the expectations of his palate." The hen which is killed on the 
sudden arrival of a guest, and immediately thereafter cooked, will prove, 
according to Catius, tough and unpleasant. To remedy this evil, the fowl 
should be plunged, before it is killed, in Falernian must. — 20. Pratensibus 
optima fangis, &c. Connoisseurs declare that this precept is false, and 
that the best mushrooms, generally speaking, are those gathered in woods 
and on heaths or downs. These, they maintain, are more wholesome, 
and better flavoured, than those of meadows. — 22. Qui nigris prandia 
moris finid. Another false precept. Mulberries should be eaten before, 
not after, dinner. Compare Pliny, (ff.JV. 23.70.) — 23. Ante gravem qua, 
legerit, &c. The juices of tenderer fruit, observes Francis, evaporate 
by the heat of the sun, but are collected and confined by the coldness of 
the night. On the contrary, harder and firmer fruit, such as apples, 
should be gathered in the middle of the day, when the sun has ripened 
and concocted their juices. 

24—32. 24. Jlufidius forti miscebat, &c. Aufidius, an epicure, is here 
blamed for having introduced a kind of mulsuni, or mead, composed of 
honey and strong Falernian wine. The precept laid down by Catius 
goes to recommend a milder draught. The mulsum of the Romans was 
either taken early in the morning, in order to fortify the stomach and pro- 
mote digestion, or else at the gustatio, the first part of the coena, consisting 
of dishes to excite the appetite ; whence, what was eaten and drunk to 
whet the appetite was named promulsis. — 27. Si dura morabilur alvus. 
" If thou art costive." Literally : if thy stomach shall be hard-bound." 
— 23. Concha. The mention of shell-fish comes in very naturally here, 
as they formed, in general, a part of the promulsis. — 30. Lubrica nascentes 
impient, &c. This is an error much older than the days of Catius. It is 



504 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE IV. 

contradicted by constant and universal experience. — 32. Murice Baiano 
melior Lucrum peloris. " The peloris from theLucrine lake is better than 
the mured from Baioe." By the peloris is meant a large kind of shell-tish, 
or oyster, deriving its name, according to AthenoBus, from its size, 
at Si raAidpWtf iivojiaaQritrav mpa to ireXwpiov. Casaubon, however, prefers 
deducing the name from the Sicilian promontory ofPelorus, around which 
they were taken in great numbers. The murex appears to be the same 
with the burret, or purple fish, a species of shell-fish, from the juice of 
which the purple dye was procured. 

33—45. 33. Echini. Consult note on Epode 5. 27.-34. Pectinibus 
patulis jactat se, &c. " The luxurious Tarentum prides herself on her 
broad scallops." The pecten of the Latins is the /crds of the Greeks, 
and both receive their names from the indented and comb-like appear- 
ance of their shells. — 30. Ntin prius exacta lenui ration e saporum, " Un- 
less the nice subject of tastes shall have been first carefully considered 
by him." — 37. Carapisces averrere mensa. " To sweep oft' the fishes from 
a dear stall," i. e. to buy them at a high price. — 38. Qidbus est jus apti- 
us, &c. " For which kind sauce is better adapted, and for which, when 
broiled, the already sated guest will replace himself on his elbow:" i. e. 
will prepare for eating again. The Romans, when eating at table, lay 
with the upper part of the body reclined on the left elbow. — 40. Iligna 
glande. " With the acorn of the holm-oak." — Rotundas curvet lances 
carnem vilantis inn-tern. "Bend with its weight the round dishes of him 
who dislikes flabby meat." — 42. Nam Laurens mollis est, &c. All peo- 
ple of taste, observes Dacier, have ever esteemed boars fed in marshy 
ground, as of higher flavour, although Catius is of another opinion. 
— Pinguis. "Fattened." — 43. Summil.tit. In the sense of suppeditat. — 
44. Fecundae leporis, sapiens, sectabitur &c. This precept also is laughed 
at by connoisseurs, since no part of the hare is less juicy than the 
shoulders. Some commentators, to save the credit of Catius, make 
armos here mean the back. — 45. Piscibus atque avibus quae nalura, &c. 
"What might be the nature and age of fishes and of birds, though en- 
quired into, was ascertained by no palate before mine." A false and 
foolish boast. 

47 — 62. 47. Nova cruslula. " Some new kind of pastry." — 50. Ce- 
cums. "Regardless." — 51. Massica si coelo, &c. Pliny tells us, that 
this ought to be done with all the wines of Campania, and that they 
should be exposed both night and day to the wind and rain. — 54. Viti- 
ata. " When strained." — 56. Columbinolimumbene colligit ovo. "Suc- 
ceeds in collecting the sediment with a pigeon's egg." — 57. Miena. 
" Foreign substances." — 58. Marcentem poiorem. " The jaded drinker." 
— Squillis. The shell-fish here alluded to is the same with our prawn 
or larger kind of shrimp. — Jifra cochlea. Dioscorides (2. 11.) ranks the 
African with the Sardinian cockles among the best kind. — 59. Nam lac- 
tuca innatal acri, &.c. The lactuca or lettuce, is the SpiSaij of the Greeks, 
and possesses cooling properties. Catius here condemns the eating of 
it after wine, a precept directly at variance with the custom of the day, 
since this plant, being naturally cold, was thought well adapted to dis- 
sipate the fumes and allay the heat occasioned by drinking. Lettuce, 
therefore, at this time closed the entertainments of the Romans. (Com- 
pare Apicius, 3. 18. and Virgil, Moret. 76.) At a later period, however, 
we find it actually used at the beginning of the coena, (compare Martial, 
13.14.) which maybe some defence for Catius against the ridicule of 
commentators. — 60. Perm magis ac magis hillis, &c. " Aroused by ham 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE IV. C05 

rather, and by sausages rather, than by this, it seeks to be restored to 
its former powers." Supply stomachus, not potor as some insist. The 
allusion is to rhe effect of salt food on a languid stomach, in exciting a 
relish and rousing it to fresh exertion. — Wilis. The term hillae proper] \ 
denotes the intestines of animals, and is a diminutive from hira. — 61. 
Quin omnia malit, &c. According to Catius, a languid stomach will pre- 
fer any thing to lettuce; even the dishes that are brought from dirty 
cook-shops. — 62. Fervent allata. For afferuntur ferventia. " Are brought 
hot and steaming." 

63—69. 63. Duplicis juris. " Of the mixed kind of sauce." The 
common, but incorrect, mode of rendering these words, is: " of the 
two kinds of sauce." Catius first speaks of the Jits simplex, down to 
the end of verse 66. He then proceeds to state how this may be con- 
verted into the Jits duplex; so that the whole passage, from the 64th 
to the 69th verses, inclusive, is, in fact, a description of the latter. — 64. 
Dulci. " Fresh." Equivalent here to recente, and opposed to rancido. 
— 65. Pingui mero. "With old rich wine." The epithet pingue seems 
to allude to that oily appearance and taste which the more generous 
wines acquire by age. — 66. Q_uam qua Byzantia putuit orca. " Than that 
with which the Byzantine jar has been tainted." The allusion is to the 
Byzantine pickle made of the tunny-fish, which were taken in large 
numbers near that city. This is pronounced by Catius to be the best, 
and the term putuit, as used in the text, will serve to give us some idea 
of its pungent odour. — Orca. A large vessel or jar, round below, and 
having a narrow neck. It derived its name from the resemblance it bore 
to the fish termed orca. — 67. Hoc ubi confusum sectis, &c. " When this, 
after herbs cut small have been mixed in, has been made to boil, and 
has then stood to cool for a time, sprinkled over with Corycian saffron." 
Stetit here refers not only to the placing of the sauce apart from the fire, 
but also, and in a more particular sense, to the thickening or concretion 
which results from the process of cooling. — 68. Corycio. The Corycian 
saffron was produced in the vicinity of Corycus, a town on the coast of 
Cilicia Campestris, south-east of Seleucia Trachea. It was considered 
of the best quality. — 69. Pressa Venafrance quod bacca, &c. The oil of 
Venafrum was celebrated for its excellence. (Compare Pliny, 15. 3.) 
Venafrum was the last city of Campania to the north. It was situate 
near the river Vulturnus, and on the Latin way. — Remisit. " Yields." 
The aorist, in the sense of what is accustomed to take place. 

70—77. 70. Picenis pomis. Consult note on Sat. 2. 3. 272. Catius 
now passes to the second course, consisting of fruits, &c. — Tiburtia. 
The apples of Tibur are meant. — 71. Venucula convenit ollis. "The Venu- 
cula is proper for preserving in jars." The allusion here is to a particu- 
lar species of grape, of which nothing definite is known at the present 
day. — 72. Duraveris. In the sense of servaveris. The Alban grape 
would not seem to have been any of the best. — 73. Plane ego cum malis, 
&c. "I am found to have been the first, that placed here and there on 
table, in clean little dishes, this kind of grape along with apples : I am 
found to have been the first, that served up, in this way, a sauce com- 
posed of burnt tartar and fish-pickle : I too am found to have been the 
first, that presented thus to my guests white pepper sprinkled over with 
black salt." The phrase puns circumposuisse calillis has been necessa- 
rily rendered with some freedom, in the two latter clauses of this sen- 
tence, in order to suit better the idiom of our own tongue. The poet 
happily expresses, by the repetition of the personal pronoun and of the 



506 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE IT. 

adjective primus, the earnest air with which the merit of these several 
important discoveries is claimed. — Fcecem. The "gebrannter Wein- 
stein" of the German commentators. Faex is here equivalent to faex 
xista. It was added as a condiment to the halec. Tartar is an acid con- 
crete salt, formed from wines completely fermented, and adhering to the 
sides of the casks in the form of a hard crust. It is white or red, the 
white being most esteemed, as containing less dross or earthy parts. 
The best comes from Germany, and is the tartar of the Rhenish wine. 
■ — 75. Incrctum. This term properly denotes, " sprinkled over through 
a sieve." — Circumposuisse. We must not imagine, with some commen- 
tators, that the calilli were served up, one to each guest, but that they 
were placed here and there (circum-) on the table, after the manner of 
the modern assiettes. — 76. Immane est vilium, dare milllu lerna macello, &c. 
Catius calls it a monstrous folly, not to know how to make an entertain- 
ment, after having gone to an immense expense at the shambles in the 
purchase of provisions. To purchase, for example, fish of the most 
costly kind, and then serve them up in small and narrow dishes where 
they have to lie piled one upon another. — 77. Vago. Applying to the 
fish as accustomed to move freely about in their native element. The 
epithet is contrasted in a very pleasing manner with angusto. 

78 — 81. 78. Magna niovet stomaclw fastidia, &c. Some general pre- 
cepts are now given respecting cleanliness and elegance at entertain- 
ments. — Unctis manibus, duin farta ligurrit. "With fingers made greasy 
while he hastily devours the stolen fragments of the feast." — 80. Sive 
gravis veteri craterce limns adhcesit. " Or if a thick scurf has adhered to 
the old mixer." Craterce. The cratera, (/cpaT^p,) or mixer, was the vessel 
in which the wine and water were mixed. — 81. Scopis. For cleansing 
the pavement of the banqueting-room. — Scobe. "Saw-dust." Used, as 
sand with us, when the pavements were swept in the banqueting- rooms, 
and serving to dry up any moisture that might be upon them. Scobs 
is, in fact, a very extensive term, and denotes in general any powder or 
dust produced by filing, sawing, or boring, though in the present pas- 
sage its meaning is limited. — Quanlus. Equivalent here to quam parvus, 
or quantillus. 

83 — 85. 83. Ten?, lapides varios lutulenta radere palma ? " Does it be- 
come thee to sweep a tesselated pavement with a dirty r palm-broom?" 
Nothing is more common, especially in Terence, than this elliptical use 
of the infinitive, to express earnestness, strong censure, indignation, 
&c. — Lapides varios. The Romans adorned the pavements of their 
dwellings wnth rich mosaic work, made of small pieces of marble of 
different kinds and colours curiously joined together, most commonly 
in the form of chequer-work. — Palma. A broom made of palm leaves. 
— 84. Et Tyrias dare circum, &c. The construction is : et dare illota 
toralia circum Tyrias vestes. "And to throw unwashed coverings over 
the purple furniture of thy couches." Toral, or torale, denotes the co- 
vering which was thrown over the couch to prevent its being soiled or 
otherwise injured. If the toral be illotum, it occasions the very evil it 
was intended to prevent. — 85. Oblitum, quanto curam sumtumque nwno- 
rem, &c. " Not recollecting, that by how much less care and expense 
these things require, by so much the more justly may their absence be 
blamed, than that of those which can only belong to the tables of the 
rich," or, more literally, " which can have nothing to do with any but 
the tables of the rich." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE V. 507 

88 — 92. 88. Bode, Cati, &c. The conclusion is in a happy strain of 
irony. The poet expresses his gratitude in the liveliest terms, and begs 
to be introduced to an audience with the distinguished author of these 
precepts, that he may hear them from his own lips, and drink in at the 
fountain-head the rules and maxims of a happy life. — 89. Ducere me 
auditum. " To take me to hear the man himself." — Perges quocanque. 
" Whithersoever thou shalt go to find him," i. e. wherever he may dwell. 
This refers back to verse 11, where Catius declares that he will not 
mention the name of the individual. — 91. Jnterpres. "As a relator 
merely." — 92. Vultitm habitumque hominis. " The look and manner of 
the man." Habilum has an ironical reference to the grave and dignified 
deportment of this sage instructor. — 93. Quia contigit. "Because such 
has been thy lot" 



Satire 5. To this satire also, like the last, a dramatic form is given. 
In a discourse, supposed to be held between Ulysses and Tiresias, Ho- 
race satirises the sordid attempts frequently made by Roman citizens, 
to enrich themselves by paying assiduous court to old and wealthy ba- 
chelors and widowers. There is considerable pleasantry in the satire 
itself, but its subject is introduced in a forced and improbable manner. 
Homer, in the eleventh book of the Odyssey, had represented Ulysses 
as consulting Tiresias on the means of being restored to his native 
country ; and Horace, commencing his dialogue at the point where it 
was left off by the Greek poet, introduces Ulysses, ruined in fortune, 
and destitute of all things, seeking advice of Tiresias as to the mode of 
repairing his shattered affairs. The answer of the prophet forms the 
subject of the satire, and is so directly levelled at the manners of the 
Romans, that we cannot forget the incongruity of these being described 
in a dialogue between a Grecian chief and a Grecian soothsayer, both 
of whom existed, if we follow the common account, before the founda- 
tion of Rome. The whole, however, may perhaps be regarded as a 
sort of parody, in which Greek names and characters are accommo- 
dated to the circumstances of Roman life. (Dunlop's Roman Literature, 
vol. 3. p. 257.) 

1 — 17. 1. Prctter narrata. "In addition to what thou hast already 
told me." — 3. Doloso. — Understand tibi. — 6. Tevate. "As thou pre- 
dictest." — 7. Jlpotheca. " My wine-room." — Mqui et genus el virtus, &c. 
"While now, as well birth as merit, unless accompanied by substance, 
are held in lower estimation than sea-weed." — 10. Jlccipe. In the sense 
of audi. — Turdus sive aliud privum, &c. " If a thrush, or any other de- 
licacy, shall be given thee, let it fly thither," &c. — 13. Quoscunque hono- 
res. " Whatever productions." The allusion is to the primitice, or first- 
fruits of the year. These were wont to be offered to the Lares, but, on 
the present occasion, they must go to the rich man, for he is " venerabi- 
lior Lare." — 15. Sine gente. " Of no family." — 16. Fugitivus. " A run- 
away slave." — 17. Exterior. " On the left." The phrase ire comes ex- 
terior is analogous to lotus tegere or claudere, and both, according to the 
best commentators, signify, " to accompany one on the left." The term 
exterior here refers to the position of the sycophant or legacy-hunter, as 
protecting the rich individual, who in this sense is interior ; and the left 
side was the one protected or guarded on such oocasions, because it was 
considered the weaker of the two, and was also more exposed to injury 
or attack . 

46 



508 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE V. 

18 — 30. 18. Vine tegam spivrco Dmnce latus. " Dost thou bid me pro- 
tect the side of the vile Dama?" i. e. of one like Darna, who has been 
in his time a worthless slave. Understand jubes. — 19. Melioiibus. Equi- 
valent to me prozstantioribus, and referring to Achilles, Ajax, &c. — 22. 
Ruam. Put for eruam, i. e. effodiam, a figurative allusion to riches con- 
cealed, as it were, beneath the surface of the earth, and a much more 
forcible term than either parent or colligam would have been, since it de- 
notes the resolution of Ulysses to triumph over every obstacle. — 23. Cap- 
tes. " Try to catch," or, more freely, though more in accordance with 
what follows : " go a fishing for." Capto is precisely the verb to be here 
employed, as characterising the efforts of legacy-hunters, and persons of 
that stamp. — 24. Vafer unus el alter. "One or two cunning fellows :" 
i. e. rich and cunning old men. — 25. Praroso hamo. " After having nib- 
bled the bait from off the hook," i. e. after having received the presents 
sent them, without making the expected return. — 27. Si olim. "If at 
any time." — 28. Uter. " Whichever of the parties." — Improbus. " A 
man of no principle." — UUro. " Unprovoked," or, " without any grounds 
of action." — 29. Illius defensor. " His advocate." — 30. Fama civem 
causaque priorem sperne. " Pay no regard to the citizen who is superior 
in reputation, and in the justice of his cause." Sperne is here equivalent 
lo " defensor ei adesse noli." 

31 — 38. 31. Quinte, puta, out Publi, &c. The connection is as fol- 
lows: Address the rich man whom thou art desirous of securing, in 
such words as these : " GLuintus," for instance, or " Publius," &c. — 
Gandent proznomine molles auricula. " Delicate ears delight in hearing 
the praenomen used." In addressing Roman citizens, the prcenomen, or 
first part of the name, was generally used, as being peculiar to freemen ; 
for slaves had no pranomen. — 33. Virtus tua. "Thy great merit." — 
34. Jus aneeps. " All the knotty points of the law," i. e. susceptible of 
a double interpretation, and which a crafty advocate, after starting, may 
easily convert to his client's advantage. — 35. Q.uam te contemtum cassa 
nuce pauperet. "Than treat thee with contempt, and defraud thee to 
the value of a nut-shell." Pauperare literally means " to impoverish;" 
here, however, it is taken in a stronger sense. — 37. Ire domum atque 
peUicidam curare jube. The connection is as follows : When by dint of 
language such as this, thou hast succeeded in conciliating his good will, 
" bid him go home, and make much of himself." The phrase pelliculam 
curare is analogous to " genio indulgere." — 38. Fi cognitor ipse. "Do 
thou become his advocate," i. e. do thou take care of his cause for him. 
Cognitor is a term of the Roman law, and the cognitores were those to 
whom the management of a suit was entrusted by either of the parties, 
in the presence of the court, after which the latter might retire if they 
felt inclined. 

39 — 44. 39. Persia atque obdura, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is simply this : " Persevere and hold out," through either extreme 
of heat or cold. In expressing it, however, Horace, as usual, seizes the 
opportunity of indulging more freely his satirical humour, and throws 
well-merited ridicule on two silly specimens of contemporary versifica- 
tion. In the first of these, statues recently made were termed infantes 
("infant," " young,"); a ludicrous image, which the poet here parodies 
in a very amusing manner, by applying the same epithet to wooden 
statues, just finished, and made of quite fresh materials, so as to split, 
:<a consequence, under the intense heat of tire dog-days. Who the au- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE V. 509 

thor of this curious metaphor was, which is thus so deservedly laughed 
at, we have no certain means of ascertaining. He is generally sup- 
posed, however, to have been none other than Furius Bibaculus, to 
whom, as the text informs us, the second of these strange poetic thoughts 
unquestionably belongs. In this last-mentioned one, Jupiter was de- 
scribed as spitting forth snow upon the Alps, an idea low, harsh, and 
extravagant. To render his parody of this the more severe, Horace 
substitutes Furius himself for the monarch of the skies, and, to prevent 
all mistake, applies to the former a laughable species of designation, 
drawn directly from his personal appearance {pingui tentus omaso, " dis- 
tended with his fat paunch.") According to the scholiast, the line of 
Bibaculus, which we have just been considering, occurred in the begin- 
ning of a poem which he had composed on the Gallic war, and ran as 
follows : " Jupiter hibernas cana nice conspuit Jilpes." — 40. Omaso. The 
term omasum properly denotes a bullock's paunch : it is here humour- 
ously applied to the abdominal rotundity of Furius himself. — 43. Ut pa- 
ttens! ut amicis aplusl utacer! "How indefatigable he is! how ser- 
viceable to his friends! how warm in their cause!" — 44. Plures anna- 
bunt thunni el cetaria crescent. " More tunnies will swim in, and thy 
fish-ponds will increase." The thunnus of the ancients is the scomber 
ihunnus of modem ichthyologists. These fish always swim in great 
numbers, and from this circumstance the present image is drawn, rich 
old men being here compared to so many tunnies swimming in shoals 
into the net of the legacy-hunter. — Cetaria. The cetaria were fish-ponds 
of salt-water, near the sea-side, intended for the larger kind offish. 

45 — 54. 45. Validus male. " In feeble health." — 46. Sublatus aletur. 
" Shall be reared." Literally, " shall be taken up and nurtured." The 
term sublatus has reference here to the Roman custom of lifting a new- 
born infant from the ground. This was done either by the father, or, in 
his absence, by some friend authorised to act for him, and was equivalent 
to an acknowledgment of the child's legitimacy. Hence the phrases 
"tollere filium," to raise or educate a son, and "non toliere," to expose. — 
Nemanifestumcozlibis obsequium, &c. "Lest too open courting of a single 
man may expose thee," i. e. may lay open the real motive that actuates 
thee. Calebs does not merely denote a bachelor, but a single man gene- 
rally, and hence is sometimes, as in the present instance, used to signify a 
widower. — 47. Leniter in spem arrepe qfficiosus, &c. " Creep gently, by 
thy assiduities, into the hope of both being written in his will as second 
heir, and, if any chance shall have driven the boy to the shades, of coming 
into possession of the vacant inheritance. This game very rarely fails." — 
48. Secundus hems. A second heir was sometimes named in wills, who 
was to succeed to the property if the heir or heirs first appointed did not 
choose to accept, or died under age. — 49. Si quis casus putrum egerit Oreo. 
Equivalent to, " si forte accidat ut films prius patre moriatur." — 53. Ut limis 
rapias. " As to ascertain by a hasty side-glance." Understand oculis. — 
Quid prima secundo cera velit versu. By prima cera is here meant " the first 
part of the will," i. e. prima pars tabulae cerctce, testaments being usually 
written on tablets covered with wax, because in diem a person could not 
easily erase what he wished to alter. If a phraseology be adopted here 
more in accordance with the custom of our own day, the whole passage 
may be rendered as follows : " What the second line of the first page inti- 
mates." In this part of the will would be continued the names of the heirs. 
■ — 54. Solus multisne coheres. Understand sis. 

55 — ?7, 55. Plerumque recoctus Scriba ex Quinqueviro, kc. "Often- 



510 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK 11. SATIRE V. 

times will a cunning notary, who has risen from the station of Q.uinquevir, 
disappoint the gaping raven." Recoquere appears to be a term borrowed 
from dyers, who say of any thing that it is recoctum, when it has been dipt 
several times, and has taken the colour well. Hence those were called recocti 
whom long use and practice had rendered expert. — 56. Quinqiteviro. The 
Quinqutviri were individuals chosen from the people, to execute certain 
minor duties, such as distributing public lands, repairing walls and towers, 
&c. It was a station of no great importance or respectability, as may be 
inferred from the text. — Corvum hianlem. An allusion to the well-known 
fable of the fox and the raven. The epithet hianlem represents the bird as 
in the act of opening its mouth, and allowing the meat to fall to the ground. 
— 57. Captator. "The fortune-hunter," or "will-catcher." — Corano. Co- 
ranus is the name of the notary, to whom allusion has just been made, 
and the story is told by Tiresias in the 62d and subsequent verses. 

58 — 69. 58. Num Juris, &c. "Art thou really inspired, or dost thou 
mock me, in thus uttering obscurities ?" Furis here refers to the supposed 
influence of prophetic inspiration on the mind of the seer. — 59. Anient aut 
non. " Will either come to pass or will not," as I shall have predicted. — 
60. Divinare. Equivalent to divinandi facitltatem. — 61. Ista ; fabula. "That 
story," to which thou wast alluding. — 62. Juvcnis. The reference is to 
Octavianus, (Augustus.) As the present satire was written between A. 
U. C. 719, and 721, Octavianus, at this time, must have been about 30 
years of age, and might, therefore, without any impropriety, be still called 
jitvenis, according to the Roman acceptation of the term. — Parthis hcrren- 
dus. Consult notes on Ode, 1. 26. 3. and 3. 5. 3. — Ab alto demissum genus 
JEnece. Alluding to the origin of the Julian line, into which Octavianus 
had come by adoption. — 65. Metuentis reddere soldum. "Disquieted about 
the repayment of the principal that he owes." Soldum (contracted from 
solidum) here denotes the principal, or the main debt itself, as distinguish- 
ed from the interest. The disquiet of Nasica, in the premises, may have 
arisen from avaricious feelings, or else, and what is far more probable, 
from a consciousness of his inability to refund what he had borrowed. His 
creditor is Coranus, to whom he therefore marries his daughter, in the 
hope that his new son-in-law will either forgive him the debt at once, or 
else leave him a legacy to that amount in his will, which would of course 
be a virtual release. He is disappointed in both these expectations. Cora- 
nus makes his will, and hands it to his father-in law, with a request that 
he will read it: the latter, after repeatedly declining so to do, at last con- 
sents, and finds to his surprise and mortification, no mention made, in the 
instrument, of any bequest to him or his. — 67. Multum Nasica negatas, &c. 
The etiquette of the day required, that in a case like this, there should be 
merely an interchange of compliments, but no actual examination of the 
will. Poor Nasica, however, could not resist the tempting offer, and was 
paid for his curiosity. — 69. Prater plorare. "Except to go and mourn," 
l. e. except the bitter feelings attendant upon disappointed hopes. 

71 — 90. 71. Temperet. "Shall govern." Shall have the manage- 
ment of. — 73. Sed vincit longe prius, &c. " But to storm the capital it- 
self is far superior to the former method," i. e. the chief thing is to gain 
the old fellow himself. Prius is here in the accusative, governed" by 
vincit. — 97. Venit enim magno. Enim is here elliptical, like the Greek 
yap: "No wonder she remains faithful, for," &c. — Donandi parcajuvsn- 
tus. Understand est. — 83. Ut canis a corio, &c. A proverbial form of 
expression. — A corio undo. " From the reeking hide." — 84. Anus im- 
proba. " A wicked old woman." The epithet improbais here used, not 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. SATIRE VI. 511 

with any reference to the moral character of the person spoken of, but 
in jocose allusion to the mischievous and sportive humour which dic- 
tated so strange a will. — 87. Scilicet elabi si posset mortua. " No doubt to 
see if she could slip through his fingers, when dead." — 88. Cautus adito. 
" Be cautious in thy approaches." Compare verse 48. " Leniter arrepe." 
— 89. JVeu desis operae, &c. " Neither on the one hand be wanting in 
thy efforts, nor on the other be immoderately abundant in them," i. e. nor 
on the other hand overdo the matter. "With abundes supply opera. — 90. 
Difficilem. "Onethatis of a fastidious turn." — Ultronon etiam sileas. 
"And again, thou must not be more silent than is proper." 

91 — 110. 91. Davus sis comicus. " Copy Davus in the play." The 
allusion is to a cunning slave in the Andria of Terence. — 92. Capite ob- 
stipo. "With head bent one side." — Multum shnilis metuenti. "Much 
like one who stands in awe of another." — 93. Obsequio grassare. "Ply 
him with assiduities." — Increbuit. " Begins to freshen." — 94. Velet ca- 
put. The Romans were accustomed, in the city, as a screen from the 
neat or wind, to throw overtheir head the lappet of their gown. — 95. Jlu- 
rein substringe loquacL " Lend an attentive ear to him if he is fond of 
talking." Substringere literally means "to bind close," " to tie tight," 
&c. Hence its figurative signification in the present case. — 96. Impor- 
tunus amat laudari ? " Is he extravagantly fond of being praised ?" — Ohe 
jam! Supply satis est. — 97. Urgue. " Press him hard." — 100. Certum 
vigilans. " Wide awake," i. e. far from dreaming. — Quartae esto partis 
Ulixes, &c. The language of the will. — 101. Ergo nunc Dama sodalis, 
&c. The construction is as follows: Sparge subinde. Est sodalis Dama 
ergo nusquam ? &c. " Throw out, from time to time, some such expres- 
sions as these : ' Is my friend Dama then no more ?' " &c. — 102. Unde 
mihi tamfortem tamquefidelem ? Supply parabo. — 103. Et sipaulum potes 
illcwrymare. " And if thou canst shed a few tears, do so." Understand 
illacryma. —Est gaudia prodentem vultum celare. " One is able, in this 
way, to disguise a countenance indicative otherwise only of joy." Est is 
here equivalent to licet, and the passage may be paraphrased as follows : 
" licet lacrymando animi laetitiam de h, reditate, in vultu expressam, occultare.'''' 
— 105. Pcrmissum arbitrio. "Left to thy discretion." — Sine sordibus. 
"Without any meanness." — 106. Egregie factum. "Celebrated in a 
handsome manner." — 107. Forte senior male tussiet. " Happens to be 
advanced in years, and to have a bad cough." — Httic tu die, ex parte tua, 
&c. " If he wishes to become the purchaser, either of a farm or a house, 
out of thy share, do thou tell him, that thou wilt make it over to him with 
pleasure for a nominal sun," i. e. for nothing at all. Jiddicere nummo 
is to make a thing over to another for any small piece of money, just to 
answer the law, which required, that, in the transfer of property, money 
should be given as an equivalent, in order to render the sale a valid one. 
This species of sale, therefore, was in reality a gift or present. — 110. 
hnperiosa trahit Proserpina. "The inexorable Proserpina drags me 
hence."— Vive valeque. A common form of bidding farewell. 



Satire 6. A panegyric on the felicity of rural existence, in winch 
the poet contrasts the calm and tranquil amusements of the country with 
the tumultuous and irregular pleasures of the capital, and delightfully 
expresses his longing after rural ease and retirement. In order to give 
force to his eulogy on a country life, he introduces the well-known and 
apposite fable of the town and country mouse. 



512 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VI. 

1 — 12. 1. Modus grinonitamagnus. " A piece of ground, not very 
large." Ita is here equivalent to valde. — 2. Jugis aqua /wis. "A spring 
of never-failing water." — 3. Et paulum silvce super his. "And a little 
woodland crowning these." — Auctius atque Di melius fecere. " The gods 
have done more bountifully, and better, for me than this." — 5. Maia nate. 
He addresses his prayer to Mercury, not only because this god was a 
patron of poets in general, and Horace, as we find in his odes, had been 
particularly favoured and protected by him, but also because he presided 
over all sudden acquisitions of wealth, or increase of worldly prosperity. 
— Propria. "Lasting." — 6. Ratione mala. "By evil means." — 7. Vitio 
culpave. " By vicious profusion or culpable neglect." — 8. Veneror. In 
the sense of precor. — 9. Accedat. " May be added unto me." — Denor- 
mat. " Spoils the regularity of." — 10. Fors qua. "Some chance." Qtwe 
is here put for aliqua. — 11. Thesauro invento qui mercenarius, &c. The 
construction is, Qui thesauro invento mercatxis est ilium ipsum agrum quem 
uti mercenarius aravit. — 12. Dives amico Hercule. " Enriched by the favour 
of Hercules." Sudden acquisitions of gain were ascribed to both Her- 
cules and Mercury, (compare note on verse 5.) with this distinction, how- 
ever, according to Casaubon, (ad Per s. 2. 11.) that when any thing was 
found in the forum, or in the streets of the city, it was attributed to Mer- 
cury, as being $eb; iyopalos, and if elsewhere, to Hercules as ^ovroidrrii. 

13 — 19. 13. Si quod adest gratum juvat. " If what I at present have 
pleases and makes me grateful." — 14. Et cetera prater ingenium. The 
poet prays to have every thing fat except his understanding. We have 
here a play on the double meaning of pingue, which, when applied to in- 
genium denotes an understanding that is heavy and dull. — 16. In arcem. 
The poet regards his country-house as a citadel inaccessible to the cares 
and annoyances that besieged him at Rome. — 17. Quid prius illustrem 
Satiris Musaque pedestn ? The effect of this parenthesis is extremely 
pleasing : no sooner is allusion made to his escape from the noise and 
crowd of the capital, than the poet, struck with the idea of the pure en- 
joyment that awaits him amid the peaceful scenery of his Sabine vale, 
breaks forth into the exclamation : " What can I rather celebrate in my 
Satires and with my prosaic Muse ?" i. e. what rather than the pleasures 
of this retirement can I celebrate in the prosaic verse of my satiric pro- 
ductions? — Musaque pedestri. Compare the Greek form of expression 
jrt^j^(5yoj to indicate " prose," and note on Ode 2. 12. 9. — 18. Plumbeus. 
This epithet well expresses the influence produced on the human frame 
by the wind alluded to, in rendering it heavy and inert. The poet's re- 
treat was covered by mountains, in such a manner, that he had nothing 
to fear from its bad effects. — 1 9. Auctumnusque gravis. " And the sickly 
autumn." The season when the wind just mentioned prevails. — Libitina 
questus acerba. " The gain of the baleful Libitina." The allusion is to 
the numerous deaths in the sickly period of autumn, and the gain accruing 
therefrom to the temple of Libitina the goddess of funerals, where all 
things requisite for interments were either sold or hired out. 

20—27. 20. Matutine pater. " Father of the morning." The poet, 
intending to describe the employments and bustle of the capital, imitates 
the custom of the epic writers, and, as they commence their labours with 
the invocation of some muse, so here he begins with an address to Janus, 
the god to whom not only the opening of the year was consecrated, but 
also that of the day. — Seu Jane libentius audis. "Or if with more plea- 
sure thou hearest the appellation of Janus." Jane is here taken mate- 
rially, as occurring in the language of invocations. Many commentators, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VI. 513 

however, prefer giving audis at once, like the Greek a.Kovug l the meaning 
oidiceris or appellaris. — 21. Unde. "From whom," i. e. underwhose fa- 
vouring influence. — 23. Romce. sponsor em me rapis, "When at Rome, thou 
hurriest me away to become bail for another." The address is still to 
Janus, who is here supposed to be assigning to each individual his em- 
ployments for the day, and among the rest giving his also to the poet. — 
Eia, ne prior officio, &c. " Come, make haste! lest any one answer to 
the call of duty before thee," i. e. lest any one anticipate thee in this office 
of friendship. This is uttered by the god. — 25. Radit. " Sweeps." — Seu 
bruma nivalem, &c. " Or whether winter contracts the snowy day within 
a narrower circle." — Bruma (quasi brevima, i. e. brevissima dies) is pro- 
perly the winter solstice, the shortest day in the year : here, however, it is 
taken to denote the season of winter generally. The inequality in the 
length of the solar day is very beautifully illustrated by a figure drawn 
from chariot-races, in which the driver, who was nearest the metcz, or 
goal, (around which the chariots had to run), marked a narrower circuit, 
and was therefore called interior, while those farther off were obliged to 
take a larger compass, and were hence styled exteriores. — 26. Ire necesse 
est. " Go I must." — 27. Postmodo, quod ml obsit, &c. " After this, when 
I have uttered, with a clear voice and in express words, what may prove 
an injury to me at some future day, I must struggle with the crowd, and 
rough measures must be used towards those who move slowly along," 
i. e. who move at a slow pace before me and block up the way. The expres- 
sion dare certumque locuto refers to the formality of becoming bail for 
another. After this is done, the poet leaves the court, and endeavours to 
make his way through the crowd. In order to accomplish this he has to 
push aside, without much ceremony, all who oppose his progress by their 
slow and dilatory movements. 

29 — 35. 29. Quid tibi vis insane? Sue. " What dost thou want, mad- 
man ? and what meanest thou by this rude behaviour, exclaims one of 
the crowd pursuing me with imprecations." — 30. Tu pulses omne quod 
obstat, &c. " Must thou push aside whatever comes in thy way, if, with 
a head full of nothing else, thou art running as usual to Maecenas ?" — 
31. Recurras. The peculiar force of this compound, in the present in- 
stance, as indicating the habitual repetition of an act, is deserving of no- 
tice. — 32. Hoc juvat el melli est. His visits to Maecenas are here meant. 
■ — Mras Esquilias. Alluding to the circumstance of this quarter having 
been a common burial-place for the poor, before the splendid residence 
of Maecenas was erected there. — 33. Miena negotia centum, &c. " A 
hundred affairs of other people leap through my head and around my 
side," i. e. beset me on every side. Compare the form which the 
same idea would assume in our vulgar idiom : " I am over head and ears 
in the affairs of others." — 34. Ante secundum. " Before eight." Lite- 
rally "before the second hour." We must suppose, that, when Horace 
reaches the abode of his patron on the Esquiline, a slave meets him, and 
mentions who had been there for him, and what they wished. — 35. Jld 
Puteal. " At thePuteal." The term puteal properly means " the cover 
of a well or pit." It is then taken to denote any cavity or hole in the 
earth, surmounted by a cover ; and, last of all, signifies a place sur- 
rounded by a wall, in the form of a square, and roofed over: resembling 
somewhat a kind of altar. These little structures were commonly 
erected on spots which had been struck by lightning, though not always. 

36 — 44. 36. De re communi scribcz, &c. " The notaries, Q,uintu3, 
fequested that thou wouldst bear in mind to return to them to-day, in 



514 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VI. 

order to consult about an important and novel matter, which concerns 
their whole number." The scribcc were notaries or clerks, who wrote 
out the public accounts, the laws, and all the proceedings of the magis- 
trates. — 38. Imprimat his cvra Maecenas, &c. " Be so good as to get 
Maecenas to seal these tablets," i. e. to put the imperial seal to these 
writings. Maecenas would seal them in the name of the emperor, from 
whom he had received the imperial signet; a duty which appertained to 
him as Prcefectus Urbis and the minister of Augustus. The address in 
the text comes, not like the two previous ones, through the medium of 
the slave, but from the applicant himself. — 39. Dixeris. For si dixeris, 
and that for si dixerim. — Si vis, potes. " Thou canst if thou wilt." — 
40. Septimus octavo propior, &.c. "The seventh year, approaching to 
the eighth, is now, if I mistake not, elapsed," i. e. 'tis now, if I mistake 
not, nearly eight years. The elegant use of the mood in fugerit, which 
we have endeavoured to preserve in our version, must be carefully noted. 
— 42. Duntaxat ad hoc, &c. " Only thus far, however ; as one whom 
he might wish to take along with him in his chariot, when going on a 
journey." — 44. Hoc genus. " Of this kind," i. e. such as these that 
follow. — Threxest Gallina Syropar. " Is Gallina, the Thracian, a match 
for Syrus ?" The allusion is to two gladiators of the day, and the term 
" Thracian" has reference, not to the native country of the individual in 
question, but to the kind of arms in which he was arrayed, imitating 
those of the Thracians. Gladiators were distinguished by their armour 
and manner of righting. 

45 — 50. 45. Matutina parum cautos, &c. " The cold morning air 
begins now to pinch those who neglect to provide against it," i. e. who 
do not put on attire suited to the change of the season. — 46. Et qua. 
" And other things of this kind." For et alia qua. — Bene. " Safely." 
The reference is to things of no importance, which may be safely con- 
fided to any one, even if he be of the most loquacious and communica- 
tive habits, since it is a matter of indifference whether he divulges them 
or not. The expression auns rimosa, (" a leaky ear," "an ear full of 
chinks,") is opposed to auris tuta, and imitated from Terence, (Eun. 1. 
2. 25.) — 48. Noster. " Our friend." The reference is to Horace, and the 
term itself is quoted, as it were, from the sneering language of others in 
relation to him. — Ludos spectaverit una, &c. " If he has witnessed the 
public spectacles in company with Maecenas, if he has played ball along 
with him in the Campus Martius ; Lucky fellow ! all exclaim." With 
spectaverit and luserit respectively, understand si. — 50. Frigidus a Ros- 
tris manat, Sac. " If any disheartening rumour spreads from the Rostra 
through the crowded streets." With manat understand sL\ — Rostris. 
The Rostra are here named as being the most conspicuous object in the 
forum, and the place where the greatest crowds were accustomed to 
assemble. By the term Rostra is meant the elevated seat from which 
the Roman orators, and men in office, addressed the assembled people. 
The appellation was derived from the circumstance of its having been 
adorned with the beaks of some galleys taken from the city of Antium. 
(Liv. 8. 12.) 

52 — 63. 52. Deos. Alluding to Augustus and Maecenas, and analo- 
gous to our term "the Great." — 54. Ut tu semper eris derisor ! "How 
fond thou always art of playing the fool with other people," or, more lite- 
rally, "what a roguish dissembler thou wilt ever be." — 55. Si quidquam. 
" If I have heard any thing at all about the matter." Understand audivi. 
— Militibus promissa Triquetra pradia, &c. " Is Ccasar going to give the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK tl. SATIRE VI. 515 

lands he promised the soldiers, in Sicily or Italy?" According to Bent- 
ley, the reference here is to the division of lands which took place after 
Augustus had overthrown Sextus Pompeius, and brought Lepidus to 
subjection. — Triquetra. An appellation given to Sicily from its trian- 
gular shape. — 57. Unum. Equivalent to prce omnibus aliis. — 58. Scili- 
cet. " To be sure." — 59. Misero. Supply mihi. — Non sine votis. " Not 
without aspirations such as these." — 61. Somno. The allusion is to the 
mid-day slumber, or siesta, so customary in warm climates. The poet 
sighs the more deeply for this, as it will not be broken in upon by the 
annoying duties of a city life. — Inerlibus horis. The poet does not 
mean, by this expression, hours of indolence, as some pretend, but 
"hours of peaceful abstraction from the world." — 62. Ducere sollicitm 
jucunda oblivia vitce. "To drink a sweet oblivion of the cares of life." 
A beautiful allusion to the fabled waters of Lethe, which all who en- 
tered Elysium previously drank, and lost, in consequence, every recol- 
lection of the cares and troubles of life." — 63. Faba Pythagorce cognata. 
" The bean related to Pythagoras." A pleasant allusion to the famous 
precept of Pythagoras, to abstain from beans, Kvdjxwv airixe^Oat. This 
precept is one of the mysteries which the ancient Pythagoreans never 
disclosed. Horace, however, evidently refers here to that solution which 
makes the philosopher to have regarded beans as among the receptacles 
of souls, and hence he jocosely styles the bean cognata, on the supposi- 
tion of its containing the soul of some relation of the sage's. 

65 — 87. 65. nodes ccenceque deum ! " Ah ! nights and refections of the 
gods !" Equivalent to nodes canceque deis dignce. — Meique. Understand 
familiares or amid. — 66. Ante larem proprium. " Before my own hearth." 
Analogous, in one sense, to our modern phrase, "by my own fire-side." — 66. 
Vernasque procaces. Those slaves who were born in their master's house 
were called vernce, and were more forward and pert than others, because 
they were commonly more indulged. — 67. Libatis dapibus. "From the 
dishes off which we have supped." Libatis is here used in the sense of 
degustatis or adesis. — Prout. To be pronounced as a dissyllable. — 68. 
Inozquales. " Of different sizes," i. e. either large or small, as might suit 
the guest. — 69. Legibus insanis. Alluding to the laws which the master 
of the feast, or symposiarch, at the ancient entertainments, was accus- 
tomed to impose on the guests, and, in conformity with which, they werfi 
compelled to drink equal quantities of liquor, and out of cups oi an equal 
size. — Sen qnis capit acria fords pocida. " Whether one of a strong head 
chooses brimming bumpers." The expression acria pocula is intended to 
denote such cups as best suit hard drinkers, acres potatores. — 70. Uvescit. 
" Grows mellow."— 72. Lepos. The name of a celebrated dancer of the 
day. — 73. Jlgitamus. "We discuss." — 75. Usus redumne. "Utility or 
virtue." — 76. Quce. sit naturaboni, &c. "What is die nature of good, and 
what its perfection." — 77. Garrit aniles ex re fabellas. "Prates away old 
wives' tales adapted to the subject in hand." The expression aniles fa- 
bellas must be here taken without the least intermixture of irony. — 78. 
Arelli. Arellius would seem to have been some wealthy individual in 
the neighbourhood, full of anxious care, (the curse that generally accom- 
panies wealth,) respecting the safe possession of his treasures. The 
whole moral of the story, which is here introduced, turns upon the dis- 
quiet and solicitude that are so often the companions of riches. — 79 
Olim. " Once upon a time." — 80. Rusticus urbanum murem mus, &c. 
The beautiful effect produced by the antithetical collocation of the words 
In this line, is deserving of all praise. It is repeated in the succeeding 
one. — Pauper e cavo. "In his poor hole." — 82. Jlsper. "Frugal." — Ui 



516 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK II. SATIRE VII. 

tamen arctum, &c. " Yet so as to open, at times, in acts of hospitality, 
his bosom closely attentive otherwise to his narrow circumstances." 
Arctum animum is equivalent here, as Doring well explains it, to animum 
arctis rebus intentum. — S3. Quid multa ? " To cut short a long story." — 
Neque Ule inviclit. " He neither grudged him," i. e. he spread plentifully 
before him. — 86. Fastidia. " The daintiness." — 87. Tangentis male. 
" Who scarcely deigned to touch." 

88—109. 88. Pater ipse domus. " The master of the house himself." 
The country-mouse is thus pleasantly styled, as the entertainer of the city- 
mouse. — Palea in horna. "On fresh straw," i. e. just collected in this 
year's harvest. — 89. Esset ador loliumque. "Kept eating wheat and 
darnel." By ador, strictly speaking, is here meant a species of grain, of 
the genus Triticum, called by the Germans "Dinkel," " Spelz," and by us 
"Spelt." — Relinquens. Understand hospili.— 91. Nanoris. The term 
nemus is here taken to denote " a woody height." — Patientem vivere. " In 
leading a life of privations." — 93. Mihicrede. "Take my advice." — Ter- 
restna qun.ndo mortales animus, &c. "Since all terrestial things live, having 
obtained as their lot mortal souls," i. e. since mortal souls have been allot- 
ted to all things that exist upon the earth. The city-mouse, having seen 
more of the world than his country-acquaintance, appears to great advan- 
tage by the side of the latter, and deals out the doctrines of Epicurus re- 
specting the non-existence of a future state with all the gravity of a philoso- 
pher. A mouse turned sceptic is, indeed, an odd sight! — 95. Q^lo bone 
circa. A tmesis for quocirca bone. — 98. Pepidere. " Had wrought upon." 
— 100. Jamque tencbat nox, &c. An amusing imitation of the gravity and 
dignity of epic verse. According to the poets, Night ascends from the 
East in her chariot, as the sun is sinking in the ocean, and pursues her 
course towards the West. — 102. Cocco. The ancients regarded the coccus 
as a kind of grain. It is, in reality, however, a species of insect, adhering 
to the bark of the Quercus cocci/era. From the coccus is obtained a beau- 
tiful crimson colour. It is frequently, however, as in the present instance, 
put for purple. Compare verse 106, where the term purpurea itself occurs. 
—103. Canderet. " Glittered."— 105. Procul. " On high." Qualifying 
exslructis. — 107. Veluti succinclus cursitat hospes. " He runs up and down 
like an active host." — 108. Continuatque dapes. "And keeps serving up 
one dish after another." — Verniliter, ipsis fungitur qfficiis. " Performs all 
the duties of an attentive servant." Literally, " performs the duties of the 
entertainment themselves like a slave." — 109. Prcelibans. " Tasting previ- 
ously." The city mouse here performs the office of pragustator. The pra - 
gustatores were slaves, whose business it was to ascertain, by previously 
tasting them, whether the dishes to be set on table were properly seasoned 
or not. 

110 — 117. 110. Bonisque rebus agit, &c. "And plays the part of a 
delighted guest amid the good cheer which surrounds him." — 1 12. Valva- 
rum. " Of the folding-doors." — Lectis excussit utrwnque. " Drove them 
each in terror from their couches." — 114. Molossis canibus. Consult note 
on Epode, 6. 5. — 116. Valeas. "Fare thee well." — 117. Tenui erbo. 
" With humble vetches." 



Satire 7. The dialogue which here takes place, between Horace 
and one of his slaves, must be supposed to have been held during the 
Saturnalia. Availing himself of the freedom allowed to his class during 



EXPLANATORY NOTES- BOOK II. SATIRE VII. 517 

that season of festive enjoyment, the slave upbraids his master with his 
defects and vices, and maintains, in conformity with one of those para- 
doxes borrowed from the Grecian schools, that the wise man alone is 
free. His sarcasms have so much truth and bitterness, that his master 
at length loses temper, and, being unable to answer him, silences him 
with menaces. The fifth satire of Persius hinges on the same philo- 
sophical paradox ; but that poet has taken twice the number of verses 
to express the same ideas as Horace, and after all has expressed them 
more obscurely. ( Dunlofs Roman Literature, vol. 3. p. 259.) 

1 — 8. 1. Jamdudum ausculto, &c. " I have for a long while been 
listening to thy remarks, and, being desirous of speaking a few words 
with thee, I dread to do so because I am a slave." — 2. Davusne ? "Is 
this Davus ?" The poet expresses his angry surprise at the familiarity 
of his slave, but a moment after recollects himself, and grants him the 
usual license of the Saturnalia. — Ita. "'Tis even so." — 3. Etfrugi quod 
sit satis, kc. "And an honest one too as far as is needful, that is, so 
that thou mayest think him likely to live long." The Romans had the 
same popular prejudice among them that exists even at the present day. 
When any one was distinguished in an eminent degree for virtue or 
merit, they imagined he would not live long. Davus therefore explains, 
in accordance with this belief, what he means by quod sit satis. He is 
honest enough, but not to such a degree as may tempt the gods to with- 
draw him from the earth. — 4. Age,libertale Decembri, &c. The reference 
is to the festival of the Saturnalia. — 6. Constanter. " Without any in- 
termission," i. e. they pursue one constant course of vice. Davus here 
enters upon his subject with the voice and manner of his master. _ The 
character of Priscus is of the same kind with that of Tigellius in the 
third satire of the first book. — 7. Propositum. " Whatever they have 
once proposed unto themselves," how dishonourable soever it may be. 
— Natat. "Fluctuate." — 8. Pravis obnoxia. " Exposed to the contami- 
nation of evil." — Saepe nolatus cum tribus anellis, &c. " Priscus was 
frequently observed with three rings, at other times with his left hand 
completely bare of them," i. e. Priscus sometimes wore three rings on 
his left hand, at other times none. With inanis supply anellis. 

10 — 14. 10. Vixlt inctqualis. "He led an inconsistent life." " Nil 
ozquale hominifuit illi." — Clavum utmutaret in Iwras. " So as to change his 
davus every hour," i. e. so as to appear one moment in the latus claims 
of a senator, and at another in the angustus clavus of an eques. From 
this it would follow, that Priscus, if he had indeed any real existence, 
was a member of the equestrian order, and of senatorian rank. — 11. 
JEdibus ex magnis subito se conderet, &c. " From a splendid mansion 
he would on a sudden hide himself in a place, from which a decent 
freedman could hardly with propriety come out." Mundior literally 
means one a little more attentive than ordinary to the decencies and pro- 
prieties of life, and hence mundior libertinus denotes one of the more decent 
class of freedmen, and who is raised above the ordinary level. — 14. Ver- 
tumnis quotquot sunt naius iniquis. " Born beneath the anger of the 
Vertumni, as many as there are." Vertumnus was an ancient deity of 
the Etrurians, whose worship was brought to Rome. He possessed, like 
the Grecian Proteus, the power of transforming himself into any shape 
or form at pleasure, an attribute which the plural name is here purposely 
used to express, as if each new shape were a separate Vertumnus. 
.Hence the meaning hp re intended to be conveyed is as follows : that 



Ol8 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VII. 

when Priscus was born, Vertumnus, in anger, gave him a changing, 
fickle, and inconstant disposition. 

15 — 26. 15. Justa. "Well-merited," i. e. the just punishment of 
his intemperance. — 16. Contudit. " Had crippled." — 17. Phhnum. " The 
box," into which the tali or tessera were cast from another called the 
frititlus, and out of which they were then thrown upon the gaming-board 
or table, was styled phimus. — Talos. The tali here meant are those de- 
scribed in the note on Ode 2. 7. 25. For the other kind, consult note on 
Sat. 2. 3. 171.— 18. Pavit. " Maintained," or " kept."— 19. Tantolevi- 
us miser ac prior Mo, &c. " By so much less wretched, and better off, 
than the other, who, one while, struggles with a tight, another, with a 
loosened, cord," i. e. who one moment struggles with his passions, and 
the next instant yields to their violence. — 21. Hodie. Equivalent here to 
stathn. — Hcec tarn putida. " Such tedious trash." — 22. Furcifer. " Ras- 
cal." The term furcifer literally denotes a slave who has been subjected 
to the punishment of the furca. It was a piece of wood that went 
round their necks, and to which their hands were tied. In this state 
they were driven about the neighbourhood under the lash, more, how- 
ever, for the sake of ignominy, than that of actual bodily punishment. 
— 23. Plebis. In the sense of populi. — 24. Jldilla. Supply qua laudas. 
— Te agaJL " Transfer thee." — 25. Aut quia non sentis, &c. " Either 
because thou dost not really think that to be more correct, which thou 
cryest up as such." — 26. Firmus. " With any kind of firmness." — Et 
haires nequidquam cceno, &.c. " And stickest fast, vainly desiring to 
pluck thy foot out of the mire." 

28—36. 28. Roma. " When at Rome."— 29. Levis. " Ever fickle." 
-30. Securum olus. " Thy quiet dish of herbs." — Jlc, velut usquam 
vinctus eas, &c. " And, as if thou always goest out to sup on compul- 
sion, so, if not invited abroad, thou callest thyself a lucky fellow, and 
art delighted, because thou art obliged to drink no where." — 32. Jusse- 
rit ad se Mcecenas, &c. The train of ideas is as follows : But see how 
inconsistent thy conduct is in this also. Should Msecenas invite thee to 
sup with him, immediately with a loud tone of voice thou callest on thy 
slaves to bring thee whatever may be needed for the visit, and hastenest 
away with rapid footsteps. The buffoons, who expected to sup with 
thee depart, after heartily cursing and abusing thee aside — 33. Serum, sub 
lumina prima. " Late in the evening, at the first lighting of the lamps." 
The usual time for the Roman cana was the ninth hour, or three o'clock 
afternoon in summer, and the tenth hour in winter. Maecenas, however, 
being entrusted, as minister, with the administration of a wide empire, 
could not observe so seasonable an hour as others. — 34. Oleum. The 
oil is here wanted for the lamp which is to guide his footsteps as he pro- 
ceeds to the residence of his patron, and also when returning from the 
same. — 36. Midvius et scurrce. Horace would seem from this to have 
had parasites of his own as well as the great. In a city like Rome, 
which might be called a world in itself, this could not Le well otherwise. 
• — 36. Tibi non referenda precati. " After having uttered secret impreca- 
tions against thee." The expression tibi non referenda is equivalent here 
to tibi non audienda. 

37 — 45. 37. Etenim, fateor, me, dixeritille, &c. Mulvius here utters a 

{mrtofthe abuse which has just been alluded to. It must be supposed, 
lowever, to be spoken aside. — Dixerit ille. " Mulvius may say." — 38. 
Duci ventre levem. '■' That I am easily led away by my stomach," to play 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE Til. 519 

the part of a parasite and buffoon. — Nasumnidore supinor. "I raise my 
nose at a savoury smell." A Graecism, for nasus mild supinator. — 39. Si 
quid vis. " If thou pleasest." — 40. Ultra. " Unprovoked by me." — 41. 
Verbisque decoris obvolvas vitium ? " And wilt thou cloak thy vices beneath 
specious names?" — 42. Quid si me stoltior ipso, &c. Davus now speaks in 
his own person. "What if thou art found to be a greater fool even 
than myself who was purchased for five hundred drachmas ?" i. e. even 
than myself, a poor cheap slave. Five hundred drachmas was a low price 
for a slave. — 43. Aufer me vultu terrere, &c. Horace, unable to bear pa- 
tiently the sarcasms of Davus, especially the one last uttered, assumes an 
angry look, and raises his hand in a threatening manner, and hence the 
slave observes : "Away with trying to terrify me by that look ; restrain 
thy hand and thy anger." — 45. Crispini janitor. In order that the sage 
precepts of Crispinus may be set forth in all their dignity and value, the 
very porter at his door is here laughably supposed to have eagerly imbibed 
them, and then doled them out to Davus and other equally eager expec- 
tants. 

54 — 71. 54. Prodis exjudice Dama turpis. "From a magistrate thou 
comest forth a vile Dama," i. e. a vile slave. Davus calls his master a 
judge, because Augustus had granted him the privilege of wearing a gold 
ring, and of assuming the angustus davus, or garb of the Equestrian order. 
Thus, he was, in fact, incorporated into the body of Roman knights, from 
among whom the judices selecli were in part chosen. — 59. Auctoratos. 
" Bound, as a gladiator, by the terms of thy agreement." Those who 
sold themselves to a lanista, or master of gladiators, engaged in a form 
or bond to suffer every thing, sword, fire, whips, chains, and death. They 
were then received into the profession, and styled auctorati, while the term 
aurtorameiitum was applied as well to the agreement which they made, as 
to the wages received by them under it. — 60. Peccati conscia herilis. Re- 
ferring to the ancilla. — 61. Estone. Equivalent to nonne est. — 71. Prava. 
" With stubborn perversity." 

73 — 81. 73. Sapiens. "Wisely," i. e. from the fear of punishment. 
Davus imagines his master's virtue, like his own honesty, was merely 
an effect of fear. — 75. Tune mihi dominus, &c. " Art thou my master, 
thyself subjected to the dominion of so many and powerful passions and 
men, whom the praetor's rod, though thrice and four times laid upon thy 
head, can never free from wretched fears ?" — 76. Vindicta. The rod 
with which the praetor touched the head of those who received their free- 
dom, according to the form of manumission styled "per Vindictam." 
The meaning of the passage is, that the praetor might make the body 
indeed free, but not the mind. This last was only to be accomplished 
by wisdom. — 78. Adde super, dictis quod non levins valeat. " Add, be- 
sides, what is of no less weight than the things already mentioned by 
me." — 79. Vicarius. " An underling." Slaves were sometimes allowed 
by their masters to lay out what little money they had saved with their 
consent (called their peculium) in the purchase of a slave for themselves, 
who was styled vicarius, and from whose labours they might make pro- 
fit. — Uti mos vesler ait. — " As your custom expresses it," i. e. as it is 
customary with you masters to call him. — 80. Tibi quid sum ego? 
"What am I in respect of thee." — 81. Miis servis miser, atque duceris, 
&c. " Art thyself a wretched slave to others, and art managed, as a 
puppet is by means of sinews not his own." 

83—94. 83. Sapiens. Davus here quotes the well-known maxim of 

47 



520 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VII. 

the Stoic sect. Consult note on Sat. 1. 3. 123. — Sibi qui imperiosics. 
" Who exercises dominion over himself." — 85. Responsare cupidinibus, 
&c. " Firm in resisting his appetites, in contemning the honours of the 
world." Fortis responsare is a Graecism for fortis in responsando, and so 
also fortis contemnere for fortis in contemnendo. — 86. In seipso tolus. 
"Relying solely on himself." According to the stoics, since those 
things only are truly good which are becoming and virtuous, and since 
virtue, which is seated in the mind, is alone sufficient for happiness, ex- 
ternal things contribute nothing towards happiness. The wise man, in 
every condition, is happy in the possession of a mind accommodated to 
nature, and all external things are consequently indifferent. — Teres at- 
que rotundas. " Smooth and round." The metaphor is taken from a 
globe. Our defects are so many inequalities and roughnesses, which 
wisdom polishes and rubs off. The image, too, suits extremely well 
with the other part of the description, in se ipso totus. — Externi ne quid 
valeat, &c. " So that no external substance can adhere to the surface, 
by reason of the polish which it possesses," i. e. so that no moral defile- 
ment can attach itself where there is nothing congenial to receive it. — 
83. Manca. "With feeble power." — Potesne ex his Mi proprium quid 
noscere ? " Canst thou, out of all these qualities, recognise any one that 
belongs peculiarly to thee?" — 90. Vexat. Equivalent to contumeliose 
tractat. — 91. Gelida. Understand aqua. — 92. Non quis. " Thou canst 
not." Quis from queo. — 93. Dominus non lenens. "An unrelenting 
master," i. e. the tyrant-sway of thy passions. — 94. Versatque negantem. 
" And urges thee on, though striving to resist." Equivalent to repug- 
nantem incitat. 

95 — 100. 95. Pausiaca torpas tabella. " Art lost in stupid admiration 
of a picture by Pausias." Pausias was a Greek painter, a native of 
Sicyon, and flourished about 360 B. C.-M)6. Qui peccas minus atque ego, 
&c. " How art thou less deserving of blame than I ?" — Fulvi, Rutubozque, 
aid Placideiani, &c. Fulvius, Rutuba and Placideianus were three famous 
gladiators of the clay, and the allusion in the text is to the delineations of 
gladiatorial combats, which were put up in public, and were intended to 
announce the coming sports, being analogous in this respect to our modern 
show-bills. These representations were in general rudely drawn ; some- 
times, however, much skill wa3 displayed in their execution. — 97. Con- 
tento poplite. "With the sinews of the ham strongly stretched." This 
is intended to represent the posture of a gladiator, when facing his anta- 
gonist, resting firmly on one leg, and having the other thrown out in ad- 
vance " conttnto poplite." — 100. Nequam et cessator Davus, &c. The con- 
nection is as follows : " Davus, if he spends any time in gazing upon 
such sights, is called a knave and a loiterer ; while thou art styled a nice 
and experienced judge of ancient works of art." Jludis, literally, "thou 
hearest thyself styled," in imitation of the Greek usage with respect to 
the verb aKovooi. Consult note on Satire 2. 6. 20. 

102 — IIS. 102. Nil ego. " I am called a good-for-nothing rascal."— 
Tibi ingens virtus atque animus, &c. Do thy mighty virtue and courage 
resist the temptation of a good supper?" Compare, as regards responsat, 
verse 85. — 104. Obsequhim ventris mihi pemiciosius est, &c. The train 
of ideas is as follows : if I, in order to satisfy the cravings of a hungry 
stomach, lay my hands on a smoking cake, it is more fatal to me: and 
why, pray? Because my back must pay for it. And dost thou imagine 
that thou obtainest with any more impunity those rare and exquisite 
dishes 1 Thou wilt pay in truth but too dearly for them. Those endlesw 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VIII. 521 

repasts create only palling and distaste, and thy enfeebled and tottering 
feet cannot sustain the weight of thy pampered and sickly frame. — 106. 
Qm(B parvo sumi nequeunt. " Which cannot be obtained at a trifling ex- 
pense." Equivalent to quce parvo pretio parari non possunt. — J 07. Inama- 
rescunt. " Begin to pall." Compare Sat. 2. 2. 43. — 103. Illusique pedes. 
" Thy tottering feet." — 109. Qui uuam furtiva mutat strigili. " Who ex- 
changes a stolen scraper for a grape." An hypallage, for qui uva strigilem 
mutat.'" By the strigilis of the Romans was meant a kind of scraper, 
used in the baths, to rub ofT the sweat and filth from the body. It was 
made of horn or brass, sometimes of silver or gold. — 110. Qui prcedia 
vendit, nil servile, &c. " And has he nothing servile about him, who, the 
slave of his appetite, sells his estates," i. e. in order to obtain means for 
its gratification. — 112. Tecum esse. "Hold converse with thyself." — Non 
otia recte ponere. " Nor employ thy leisure moments as they should be 
employed." — 113. Teque ipsum vitas fugitivus et erro. " And shunnest 
self-examination like a fugitive and a vagrant slave." — 116. Unde mihi 
lapidem ? " Where shall I get a stone ?" In this angry exclamation the 
verb is omitted by a very natural ellipsis : supply suniam or petam. — 118. 
Accedes opera agro nona Sabino. " Thou shalt go as the ninth slave to 
labour on my Sabine farm." Literally : " thou shalt be added to my 
Sabine farm as a ninth labourer." Opera is put for operarius. Horace 
had eight slaves thus employed already, and threatens that Davus shall 
make the ninth. 



Satire 8. This satire contains an account, by one of the guests who 
was present, of a banquet given by a person of the name of Nasidienus 
to Maecenas. The host had invited three persons, of first-rate distinc- 
tion at the court of Augustus, along with the minister. Maecenas 
brought with him two others of the same rank : and a couple of buffoons 
completed the party. The description of the entertainment exhibits a 
picture, probably as true as it is lively, of a Roman feast, given by a per- 
son of bad taste affecting the manners that prevailed in a superior rank. 
An ill-judged expense and profusion had loaded the table ; every ele- 
gance of the season was procured, but was either tainted from being too 
long kept, or spoiled in dressing by a cook who had forgotten his art in 
a miser's kitchen. Yet the host commends every dish with such an im- 
pertinent and ridiculous affectation, that he at last talks his guests out of 
his mansion. 

1 — 3. 1. Nasidieni. To be pronounced Nasid-yeni in metrical read- 
ing. Who Nasidienus himself was cannot be ascertained, nor is it of 
the least importance. From the 5Sth verse it would appear that the name 
of the individual in question was Nasidienus Rufus. — Beati. Equiva- 
lent to divitis, a usage of frequent occurrence in Horace. — 2. Nam mihi 
convivam quccreati, Sac. The construction is, Nam dictus es heri mihi 
qucerenti te convivam, potare Mic de medio die. "For I was told yesterday, 
when seeking to make thee my guest, that thou wert drinking there since 
noon." — 3. De medio die. Equivalent in strictness to a medio statim die. 
The usual time for the Roman ccena was the ninth hour, or three o'clock 
afternoon, in summer, and the tenth hour in winter. It was esteemed 
luxurious to sup earlier than this, and an entertainment, therefore, begun 
before the usual time, and prolonged till late at night, was called by way 
of reproach, convivium tempestivum, under which class the present one 
would fall. What is here stated respecting the hours of the Roman 
aena, applies, of course, only to times of luxury and wealth. The pri- 



622 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VIII. 

mitive Romans supped at evening, and made the prandium, or dinner, a 
hearty meal, whereas with their descendants the prandium became a very- 
slight repast, and the cana the principal meal. — Sic ut inihi nunquam in 
vita fuerit melius. " Why, it pleased me so much, that nothing in the 
whole course of my life ever delighted me more." 

4—11. 4. Da, si grave non est. "Tell me, if it is not too much 
trouble." — 5. Placaverit. "Appeased." — 6. Lucanus aper. Consult note 
on Sat. 2. 3. 234. — Leni fait Jlustro captus. "It was taken while the 
South wind blew gently." The flesh of the boar, if the animal was 
taken when the south wind blew violently, soon became rancid, but, if 
taken when the same wind blew gently, would be tender. Either by 
buying it cheap, or by keeping it too long, the boar in question was pro- 
bably tainted ; but the host would insinuate that it had a particular flavour, 
by being taken when the south wind blew gently, and was delicate and 
tender. — 7. Acria circum rapula, &c. The articles here mentioned were 
such, as might best, by their sharp and pungent taste, overcome the tainted 
flavour of the boar, as well as excite the guests to eat. — 8. Rapula. 
Consult note on Sat. 2. 2. 43.— Lactucce. Consult note Sat. 2. 4. 59. — 
Halec. Consult note on Sat. 2. 4. 73. — Fczcula Coa. "Burnt tartar 
of Coan wine." Consult note on Sat. 2. 4. 73. — 10. Puer die cinctus. 
"A young slave tucked high." Among the Romans, the young slaves, 
employed in the interior of the dwellings, were generally clad in a short 
tunic, descending no farther than the knees. This was done, not so much 
with a view to activity and expedition as from a refinement of luxury. 
The custom is here carried by Nasidienus to a ridiculous extreme, in 
order that every part of this strange entertainment may be in unison. — 
Acernam. According to Pliny (H. N. 16. 15.) the maple was next in 
value to the citron wood. The scholiast remarks that the circumstance 
of his having a maple-wood table is another proof of the sordid habits of 
Nasidienus, since a man of his riches should have had a table of citron- 
wood, with which, too, the gausape purpureum, mentioned immediately 
after, would have much better comported. — 11. Gausape purpurea. The 
Gausape (gausapa t or gausapum,) was a kind of towel or cloth, having on 
one side a long nap : those used by the rich were made of wool, and dyed 
of some bright colour. — Et alter sublegit quodcunque jaceret inutile, &c. 
The allusion is to the fragments of the feast, the crumbs, bones, &c. The 
slave, whose duty it was to collect these, was styled analecta. 

13 — 19. 13. Ut Mica virgo cum sacris Cereris. The allusion is to 
the Canephori, or young Athenian females, who bore, at the mystic fes- 
tival of Ceres and Proserpine, certain sacred symbols belonging to the 
secret worship of these deities, covered over in baskets. Their pace was 
always slow and solemn. Horace, in expressing the comparison be- 
tween the gait of Hydaspes and that of the females just alluded to, 
means, of course, to turn into ridicule the stately march of the slave. — 
14. Hydaspes. A slave, as his name proves, from India. The wealthy 
Romans were fond of having in their household establishments slaves of 
various nations. — 15. Chium maris expers. Horace is generally sup- 
posed to mean, that this wine, served up by Nasidienus, was of inferior 
quality, from the want of salt water : it is more probable, however, that 
by expers maris he intends to insinuate, that the wine in question was a 
factitious or home-made kind, " which had never crossed the sea." — 18. 
Divitias miseras. Not uttered by Nasidienus, as some commentators 
pretend, but by Horace. ' The poet makes use of this expression as a 
kind of apposition with utrumque in the preceding line. Fundanius states, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VIII. 523 

that he has both Alban and Falernian wine, and yet he is prevented by 
his avarice from offering them to his guests. Horace justly calls these 
"divitias miseras." — Una. Understand tecum. — 19. Nosse laboro. "I 
am impatient to know.'' — 20. Summits ego. " I was first on the highest 
couch." In the absence of a diagram, the same mode of explanation 
will be here adopted, which has already been resorted to. Consult note 
on Sat. 1. 4. 87. If the present page be imagined a square, the top and 
two sides will represent the parts of a Roman table along which the 
three couches were placed. The couch on the right hand was called 
summus lectus, the one placed along the side supposed to correspond with 
the top of the page, was called medius lectus, while the remaining couch 
on the left, was termed imus lectus. Each of these couches held three 
persons, and the post of honour on each was the central place, the guests 
who occupied the middle of each of the three couches being styled re- 
spectively, primus s'ummi lecti, primus medii lecti, primus imi lecti. The 
most honourable of these three places, and consequently of the whole 
entertainment, was the primus medii lecti, and here, on the present occa- 
sion, was the post of Maecenas. The arrangement of the whole party 
then will be as follows : On the summus lectus will be placed Viscus 
Thurinus, Fundanius, and Varius, the first of these occupying the part 
of the couch nearest the bottom of the table, (i. e. the bottom of the 
page), the second the centre, which makes him primus summi lecti, or, 
as it is expressed in the text, summus, and the third the part nearest the 
top of the table (i. e. the top of the page.) On the medius lectus, the 
individual nearest the lower extremity of the summus lectus will be Ser- 
vilius Balatro, in the middle will recline Maecenas, and below him (i. e. 
nearest the imus lectus, or left side of the present page) will be Vibidius. 
On the imus lectus the arrangement will be Nomentanus, Nasidienus, 
and Porcius, the first of these reclining on the upper part of the couch, 
Nasidienus occupying the middle, and Porcius being the lowest guest 
of all. It must be borne in mind, that those who recline on the summits 
lectus have their bodies extended upwards along the couch in a diagonal 
direction, and those on the imus lectus downwards, while the guests on 
the medius lectus recline with their heads towards the summits lectus. 

22 — 30. 22. Umbras. " As uninvited guests." Among the Romans, 
persons of distinction, when invited to an entertainment, had liberty to 
bring with them unbidden guests, who were styled umbra:.. The umbra 
brought on this occasion by Mascenas were two buffoons (scurrce.) — 24. 
Ridiculus Mas simul, &c. " Who made himself ridiculous by swallow- 
ing whole cakes at once." Porcius was a parasite of their entertainer. 
— 25. Nomentanus ad hoc, Sue. " Nomentanus was present for this pur- 
pose, in order that if any thing should chance to escape the observation 
of the guests, he might point it out with his fore-finger." An individual 
who performed such a duty as this, at an entertainment, was styled a 
nomenclalor. — Cetera turba. "The rest of the company." — 23. Longe 
dissimilem nolo, &c. " Which concealed in them a juice far different 
from the known one." Hence the office of Nomentanus in pointing 
out these hidden excellences of the viands. There is much malice, as 
Dacier well observes, in the ambiguous wording of the text. The food 
not being over-excellent in its kind, was disguised by sauces and sea- 
soning. Nomentanus declares its taste to be very peculiar and delicate, 
while Fundanius ironically confesses he had never eaten any thing like 
it before. — 29. Passeris. " Of a flounder." Understand marini. The 
fish here meant is the Pleuro-nectes Flesus, of ichthyologists. — 30. In- 
gustata. " Such as I had never before tasted." 



524 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VIII. 

31 — 38. 31 Melimela. "Honey-apples." These properly belonged 
to the second course, or dessert, and their presence in this part of the en- 
tertainment, serves only to show how unaccustomed their host was to 
the rules and proprieties of an entertainment. — Minorem adlunam. "At 
the waning moon." — 32. Quid hoc Intersil. " What difference this 
makes," i. e. whether they are gathered when the moon is in her wane, 
or at any other time. — 34. Nos nisi damnose bibimus, &c. " If we do not 
drink to his cost, we shall die unrevenged," i. e. let us drink hard, and 
punish by so doing the foolish vanity, and sordid and ridiculous avarice, 
of our host. — 35. Vertere. Understand ceepit. — 36. Panochi. " Of our 
entertainer." — 38. Subtile evsurdant palatum. "Blunt the nice percep- 
tion of the palate." The true reason, the fear which Nasidienus enter- 
tained for his wine, is ironically withheld. 

39 — 46. 39. Invertunt Jlllifanis vinaria tola. " Empty whole wine-jars 
into Allifanian cups," i. e. dram, by means of Allifanian cups, the contents 
of entire wine-jars. With vinaria understand vasa, and pocidis with Jlllifa- 
nis. The Allifanian cups, made at Alifaa, a city of Samnium, were of a 
larger size than usual. Hence the figurative language of the text. — 40. 
Imi convivoz lecti. The allusion is to Nomentanus and Porcius. These, 
together with Nasidienus, occupied the imus lectus, and being desirous, as 
parasites, of pleasing the avaricious entertainer, "did no harm to the 
flagons," i. e. drank sparingly of his wine. — 42. Squillas. Consult note on 
Sat. 2. 4. 58. — Murozna. "A lamprey." This fish was held in high esti- 
mation by the Romans. The best were caught in the Sicilian straits. — 
Natantes. " That were swimming in the sauce." — 43. Porrecta. Allud- 
ing to the length of the fish. — Sub hoc. " Upon this," i. e. upon the lam- 
prey's being brought in. — 44. Deterior post partum carnefutura. The ab- 
lative came is here equivalent to quod attinet ad ejus carnem, and the pas- 
sage may be rendered : " since, after having spawned, it would have been 
less delicate in its flesh." — 45. Prima. "The best." — Venafri. Consult 
note on Sat. 2. 4. 69. — 46. Garo de succis piscis Iberi. "With pickle from 
the juices of the mackarel." Garum was a species of pickle made origin- 
ally from a fish of small size, called by the Greeks ydpos, and afterwards 
from the mackarel. It resembled the modern anchovy-sauce in nature 
and use. The intestines of the mackarel were principally used. — Piscis 
Iberi. The mackarel was so called because found in abundance on the 
coast of Spain. 

47 — 53. 47. Citramare nato. Alluding to Italian wine. Compare 
Sat. 1. 10. 31. — 50. Quod Mcthymnaam vilio mutaverit uvam. "Which by 
its sharpness has soured the Methymnaean grape." By the Methymnaean 
grape is meant Lesbian wine, of which the vinegar in question was made. 
Methymna was a city in the island of Lesbos. — 51. Erucas. "Rockets." 
52. Illotos. " Unwashed," i. e. without having the pickle, in which they 
had been lying, washed off — Curtillus. An epicure of the day. — 53. Ut 
melius muria, &c. "As being better than the pickle which the sea shell-fish 
yield," i. e. the brine adhering to the illoti echini superseded the necessi- 
ty of employing the pickle in question, and answered, in fact, a better pur- 
pose. 

54 — 66. 54. Jlulaa. Theawtea were "hangings" suspended in ban- 
queting-iooms for the purpose of intercepting the dust. As regards the 
accident itself, most commentators suppose, that the hangings, of which 
mention is made in the text, fell on the very table and dishes. Fea, 
however, maintains, and we think correctly, that they merely fell from 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. SATIRE VIII. 525 

the side-walls, bringing with them in their descent a large quantity of 
dust, and covering, of course, the dishes and table with it. Had the 
hangings themselves fallen on the table and the guests, there would 
have been an end of the entertainment. Hence the expression nihil pe- 
ricli which follows. — 55. Pulveris atri. Supply tantum. — 57. Majus. 
" Something worse." — 58. Erigimur. " Resume courage." — Rufus. 
The surname of Nasidienus. — 59. Immaturus. " By an untimely death." 
— Esset. For fuisset, and so tolleret, a little after, for sushdisset. — 60. 
Sapiens Nomentanus. Ironical. — 63. Mappa. "With his napkin." — 
64. Suspendens omnia naso. " Making a joke of every thing that passed." 
— 65. Haze est conditio vivendi. " This is the condition of human life," 
i. e. such is the lot of life. — Eoque. " And therefore." — 66. Tuo labori. 
This is addressed to Nasidienus. 

67 — 78. Tene. Understand azquum est, or some equivalent expres- 
sion. — 70. Pracincti. Compare note on verse 10. — 72. Hos casus. 
" Such accidents as the following." — 72. Pede lapsus agaso. All this 
comfortable speech, observes Francis, is mere irony. The bread was 
burnt; the sauce ill made; the servants awkwardly dressed, and some 
of them brought from the stable to wait at supper, {agaso denoting, in 
fact, a groom, or person to take care of horses, &c.) Poor Nasidienus, 
however, takes it all in good part, and thanks his guest for his good 
nature. — 74. Nudare. " To disclose." — 77. El soleas poscit. That he 
might rise from table. The guests laid their slippers on the floor, at 
the end of the couch, when they took their places for their supper. 
This was done in order not to soil the rich covering or furniture of the 
couches on which they reclined. — Videres. "Might one see." — 78. 
Stridere secreta divisos aure susurros. " Divided whispers buzzing in 
each secret ear." An elegant verse. The expression secreta aure has 
reference to the ear's being the confidential depository of secrets, while 
by divisos susurros are meant whispers on the part of each to his compa- 



82 — 94. 82. Non dantur pocida. Alluding to the slowness of the at- 
tendants in furnishing the wine. — Dumque ridetur fictis rerum. " And 
while we give vent to our laughter under various pretences." Fictis re 
rum is a GnBcism for fictis rebus. The guests laugh in reality at the 
avarice and folly of Nasidienus, but pretend to have their mirth excited 
by other causes. — 83. Balatrone secundo. " Balatro seconding us." — 
84. Nasidiene redis mutatce frontis. A burlesque imitation of the epic 
style. — 36. Mazonomo. The mazonomus, (na^dvojuv;, pa£6<popos,) was a 
kind of large dish, or "charger." The name was first applied to a large 
dish used for the purpose of holding the species of food termed maza, 
(li&la,) but was afterwards extended so as to become a general term. — 
87. Grids. As regards the estimation in which cranes were held by 
the Roman epicures, compare the remarks of Pliny, H. JV. 10. 30. 
" Cornelius Nepos, qui Dlvi Jlugusti pri.ncipatn obiit, cum scriberet turdos 

imulo ante captos saginari, addidil, ciconias magis placer e quam grues : cum 
lsec nunc ales inter primas expetatur, illam nemo velit attigisse." — Non 
sine Jarre. " Together with grated bread." — 88 Pinguibus. "Fatten- 
ing." — Fids pastum. The livers of geese were esteemed by the Roman, 
as they still are by modern, epicures, a great delicacy, and these birds 
were purposely fattened on various kinds of food, among the rest on 
figs, with the view of increasing the size of their livers. — 89. Leporum 
armos. Nasidienus should have kept these away from his guests, and 
have served up the other parts that are ironically condemned in the text. 



526 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLES. 

■ — 90. Edit. The old form of the subjunctive, from edim. Compare 
Epode 3. 3. — Musto. "Burnt." — 91. Merulas. "Blackbirds." — Sine 
dune palumbes. Our host, observes Francis, had probably bought these 
birds at a cheap price, since the rumps, which are the most delicious 
part, were so tainted as not to be brought on table. — 92. Sitaves res. 
Ironical. — Causas et naturas. " Their causes and natures," i. e. the 
causes, by reason of which a particular part was sometimes to be pre- 
ferred to all the rest of the body, and one part to another, as well as the 
peculiar natures of these several parts. In other words, their talkative 
host became more insupportable than the entertainment itself, and they 
were glad to escape from him. — 94. Velut illis Canidia afflasset, &c. 
" As if Canidia, more venemous than African serpents, had poisoned 
them with her breath." With afflasset supply venenum. 



EPISTLES. 

It has been frequently discussed, whether the Epistles of Horace 
should be considered as a continuation of his satires? or, if they be not 
a sequel to them, what forms the difference between these two sorts of 
composition ? Casaubon has maintained, that the satires and epistles 
were originally comprised under the general name of Sermones ; but 
that, in the poems to which critics subsequently gave the name of sa- 
tires, Horace has attempted to extirpate prejudices, and, in the epistles, 
to inculcate lessons of virtue, so that the two works, united, form a 
complete course of morals. This opinion has been adopted by Dacier, 
Wieland, and many other critics. Some commentators, however, have 
found, that the satires and epistles have so many other distinctive cha- 
racteristics that they cannot be classed together. An epistle, they main- 
tain, is necessarily addressed to an individual, not merely in the form of 
a dedication, but in such a manner that his character, and the circum- 
stances under which it is inscribed to him, essentially affect the subject 
of the poem. The legitimate object of satire is to brand vice or chastise 
folly ; but the epistle has no fixed or determinate scope. It may be sa- 
tirical, but it may, with equal propriety, be complimentary or critical. 
Add to this, that the satire may, and in the hands of Horace frequently 
does, assume a dramatic shape ; but the epistle cannot receive it, the 
epistolary form being essential to its existence. 

The epistles of Horace were written by him at a more advanced pe- 
riod of life than his satires, and were the last fruits of his long experi- 
ence. Accordingly, we find in them more matured wisdom, more sound 
judgment, mildness and philosophy, more of his own internal feelings, 
and greater skill and perfection in the versification. The chief merit, 
however, of the epistles depends on the variety in the characters of the 
persons to whom they are addressed ; and, in conformity with which, 
the poet changes his tone and diversifies his colouring. They have not 
the generality of some modern epistles, which are merely inscribed with 
the name of a friend, and may have been composed for the whole hu- 
man race ; nor of some ancient Idyls, where we are solely reminded of 
an individual by superfluous invocations of his name. Each epistle is 
written expressly for the entertainment, instruction, or reformation of 
him to whom it is addressed. The poet enters into his situation with 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLES. 627 

wonderful facility, and every word has a reference, more or less remote, 
to his circumstances, feelings, or prejudices. In his satires, the object 
of Horace was to expose vice and folly ; but in his epistles he has also 
an eye to the amendment of a friend, on whose failings he gently 
touches, and hints perhaps at their correction. 

That infinite variety of Roman character, which was of so much ser- 
vice to Horace in the composition of his satires, was also of advantage 
to the epistles, by affording opportunities of light and agreeable compli- 
ment, or of gentle rebuke, to those friends to whom they were addressed. 
" The knowledge of these characters," says Blackwall, enables us to 
judge with certainty of the capital productions of the Roman genius, and 
the conduct of their most admired writers, and thus observe the address 
of Horace in adjusting his compliments to the various tempers of his 
friends. One was proud of his high descent, but ashamed to own that 
he was so ; another valued himself on the honours and offices he had 
borne ; and a third, despising these honours, hugged himself in the ele- 

fance of his table, and the pleasures of his private life. A hint to the 
rst of these, of the nobleness of his blood, would make it flush in 
his face. Consulships, and triumphs, and provinces, would be the wel- 
come subject to the ears of the second ; and the vanity of these pageants, 
a smile at a lictor, or a jest on the fasces, would steal a smile from the 
last." 

The first book contains twenty epistles of a very miscellaneous nature. 
Our poet asks news from Julius Fiorus, enquires concerning the health 
and occupations of Tibullus, invites Manlius Torquatus to supper, re- 
commends a friend to Tiberius, and explains himself to Maecenas, with 
regard to some want of deference or attention, of which his patron had 
complained. On such ordinary and even trivial topics, he bestows no- 
velty, variety, and interest, by the charm of language and expression. 
Other episfles treat of his favourite subject, the happiness and tranquillity 
of a country life ; and we know that these were actually penned, while 
enjoying, during the autumn heats, the shady groves and the cool streams 
of his Sabine retreat. In a few, he rises to the higher tone of moral in- 
struction, explaining his own philosophy, and inveighing, as in the satires, 
against the inconsistency of men, and their false desires for wealth and 
honours. From his early youth, Horace had collected maxims from all 
the sects of Greece, searching for truth with an eclectic spirit, alike in the 
shades of the Academy and the Gardens of Epicurus. In these philo- 
sophic epistles, he sometimes rises to the moral grandeur and majesty of 
Juvenal ; while other lines possess all the shrewdness, good sense, and 
brevity of the maxims of Publius Syrus. 

The great principle of his moral philosophy is, that happiness depends 
on the frame of the mind, and not on the adventitious circumstances of 
wealth or power. This is the precept which he endeavours to instil into 
Aristius, this is his warning to Bullatius, who sought by roaming to other 
lands to heal his distempered spirit. What disposition of mind is most 
conducive to tranquillity and happiness, and how these are best to be 
obtained, form the constant subject of his moral enquiries. 

The epistles of the first book are chiefly ethical or familiar. Those of 
the second are almost wholly critical. The critical works of Horace 
have generally been considered, especially by critics themselves, as the 
most valuable part of his productions. Hurd has pronounced them " the 



52S EXPLANATORY NOTES.-BOOK I. EPISTLES. 

best and most exquisite of all his writings," and of the Epistle to the 
Pdsos, in particular, he says, "that the learned have longsince considered 
it as a kind of summary of the rules of good writing, to be gotten by 
heart by every student, and to whose decisive authority the greatest mas- 
ters in taste and composition must finally submit" Mr. Gifford, in the 
introduction to his translation of Juvenal, remarks, that, "as an ethical 
writer, Horace has not many claims to the esteem of posterity; but, as 
a critic, he is entitled to all our veneration. Such is the soundness of his 
judgment, the correctness of his taste, and the extent and variety of his 
knowledge, that a body of criticism might be selected from his works, 
more perfect in its kind than any thing which antiquity has bequeathed 
us." Of course, no person can dispute the correctness or soundness of 
Horace's judgment ; but he was somewhat of a cold critic, and from his 
habits as a satirist, had acquired the Parnassian sneer. He evidently 
attached more importance to regularity of plan, to correctness and terse- 
ness of style, than to originality of genius or fertility of invention. He 
admitted no deviation from the strictest propriety. He held in abhorrence 
every thing incongruous or misplaced, he allowed no pageantry on the 
stage, and tolerated nothing approaching to the horrible in tragedy or the 
farcical in comedy. I am satisfied that he would not have admired 
Shakspeare ; he would have considered Addison and Pope as much 
finer poets, a'nd would have included FalstafF, Autolycus, Sir Toby Belch, 
and all the clowns and boasters of the great dramatist, in the same cen- 
sure which he bestows on the Plautinos sales, and the Mimes of Laberius. 
Of poetry he talks with no great enthusiasm, at least in his critical works ; 
of poets in general he speaks at best with compassion and indulgence; 
of his illustrious predecessors in particular, with disparagement and con- 
tumely. In his ethical verses, on the other hand, connected as they are 
with his love of a rural life of tranquillity, freedom and retirement, there 
is always something heartfelt and glowing. A few of his speculative 
notions in morals may be erroneous, but his practical results are full of 
truth and wisdom. His philosophy, it has been said, gives too much dig- 
nity and grace to indolence ; places too much happiness in a passive ex- 
istence, and is altogether destructive of lofty views. But in the age of 
Horace, the Roman world had got enough of lofty views, and his senti- 
ments must be estimated not abstractly, but in reference to what was 
expedient or salutary at the time. After the experience which mankind 
had suffered, it was not the duty of a moralist to sharpen the dagger of a 
second Brutus ; and maxims which might have flourished in the age of 
Scipio or Epaminondas, would have been misplaced and injurious now. 
Such virtues, however, as it was yet permitted to exercise, and such ab 
could be practised without danger to the state, are warmly and assiduously, 
inculcated. 

" Horace," says Dryden, " instructs us how to combat our vices, to re- 
gulate our passions, to follow nature, to give bounds to our desires, to 
distinguish betwixt truth and falsehood, and betwixt our conceptions of 
things, and things themselves ; to come back from our prejudicate opi- 
nions, to understand exactly the principles and motives of all our actions, 
and to avoid the ridicule into which all men necessarily fall, who are in- 
toxicated with those notions which they have received from their masters ; 
and which they obstinately retain, without examining whether or not 
they be founded on right reason. In a word, he labours to render us 
happy in relation to ourselves, agreeable and faithful to our friends, and 
discreet, serviceable, and well bred, in relation to those with whom we 
are .obliged to live and to converse." And though perhaps, we may not 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPI3TLE I. 529 

very highly estimate the moral character of the poet himself, yet it cannot 
be doubted, that, when many of his epistles were penned, his moral sense 
and feelings must have been of a highly elevated description ; for, where 
shall we find remonstrances more just and beautiful, against luxury, envy, 
and ambition ; against all the pampered pleasures of the body, and all 
the turbulent passions of the mind ? In his satires and epistles to his 
friends, he successively inculcates cheerfulness in prosperity, and content- 
ment in adversity, independence at court, indifference to wealth, modera- 
tion in pleasure, constant preparation for death, and dignity and resigna- 
tion in life's closing scene. 



Epistle 1. This epistle, addressed to Maecenas, contains the poet's 
excuse for the inactivity into which he had fallen since the publication of 
his third book of odes. Three years had elapsed without any new work 
of the bard's having made its appearance, an interval which had been 
spent by him in the calm enjoyment of existence. The contrast that pre- 
sents itself between his own mode of thinking, and the folly of those 
who run on in the pursuit of the gifts of fortune and the favours of the 
great, constitutes the principal charm of the piece. 

1 — 3. 1. Prima dicte mihi, &c. "Maecenas, subject of my earliest, 
that hast a right to be the subject of my latest, Muse, dost thou seek to 
shut me up once more in the old place of exercise, after having been 
tried sufficiently, and when now gifted with the rod ?" The name of 
his patron stands at the head of the Odes, Epodes, and Satires, as it does 
here at the commencement of the Epistles. — 2. Speckdum satis. The 
poet compares himself to a gladiator, who has been sufficiently tried in 
exhibitions of skill, and has at last received his dismissal by the favour 
of the people. — Donatum rude. Gladiators, when discharged from fight- 
ing, received a rod, or wooden sword, as a mark of their exemption. 
This was either obtained at the expiration of the years of service for 
which they had engaged, or was granted by the person who exhibited 
them, {editor), at the desire of the people, to an old gladiator, or even to 
a novice, for some uncommon act of courage. Those who received it 
(rude donati) were called Rudiarii, and suspended their arms, as an of- 
fering, at the entrance of the temple of Hercules. They could not again 
be compelled to fight, but were sometimes induced by great hire once 
more to appear in public and engage. — 3. Antiquo ludo. The reference 
is to the school, or place where the gladiators were exercised and trained 
(ludus gladiatorius), and hence those who were dismissed on account of 
age or any other cause, were said dehisisse. Horace began to write 
about twenty-six years of age, and he is now forty-six, so that the ex- 
pression cmtiquo ludo is used with great propriety, as also non eadem est 
aztas in the succeeding line. 

4 — G. 4. Non eadem est cetas, non mens. " My age is not the same, 
my habits of thinking are changed." — Veianms. A celebrated gladiator 
of the day, who, having obtained his dismissal, retired into the country, 
in order to avoid all risk of again engaging in the combats of the arena. 
— 5. Herculis ad postern. " At the gate of the temple of Hercules." 
Literally, "at the door-post," &c. It was customary with the ancients, 
when they discontinued any art or calling, to offer up the instruments 
connected with it to the deity under whose auspices that art or calling 
had been pursued. Gladiators, therefore, when they ceased from the 



530 EXPLANATORY NOTE9.— BOOK I. EPISTLE I. 

profession of arms, offered up their instruments of combat to Hercules, 
who was regarded as the tutelary deity of this class of men. — 6. Ne 
populum extrema toties exoret arena. " That he may not so often entreat 
the favour of the people from the extremity of the arena." The Rudi- 
arii, as has already been remarked in a previous note, were not again 
compelled to fight, but were sometimes, however, induced by great nire 
to appear once more in public and engage in combats. When they re- 
sumed their profession in this way, and wished, after having served a 
second time, to be again dismissed, the same formality of receiving the 
rudis had to be observed. "When a gladiator requested the favour of 
dismissal from the people, he came to the edge or extremity of the arena 
to prefer his supplication. By the arena is meant the place in the am- 
phitheatre where the gladiators fought. It received its name from being 
covered with sand, in order to prevent the combatants from slipping, and 
to absorb the blood. Saw-dust was sometimes employed in place of 
sand. 

7 — 12. 7. Est mild pnrgatam, &c. " I have a monitor that keeps 
continually ringing in my cleansed ear," i. e. in my ear that hear3 dis- 
tinctly what is said. The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : 
In order that I may do what Veianus did, a monitor is not wanting unto 
me, who fills my ear with these words, &c. The poet's monitor on this 
occasion is his own better judgment. — 8. Solve senescentem mature, &c. 
" Wisely, in time, release from the chariot the steed now advancing in 
years, lest he fail at last, only to be exposed to the laughter of the spec- 
tators, and become broken-winded." Ilia ducat, literally, " draw his 
flanks together." — 10. Nunc itaque, &c. " Wherefore, now," yielding 
obedience to this monitor. — Et cetera ludicra. " And other things of a 
sportive nature." — 11. Et omnis in hoc sum. " And am wholly engaged 
in this." — 12. Condo et compono, qua mox depromere possim. " I treasure 
up and digest what I may at some future period draw forth into action." 
The reference here is to the precepts of philosophy. 

13 — 15. 13. Quo me duce, quo lare tuter. "Under what guide, under 
what sect I take shelter." Lar is here equivalent to familia ,a term frequent- 
ly applied by the Roman writers to denote a philosophical sect. — 14. Nul- 
lius addictus jur are in verba magistri. "Bound to swear to the tenets of 
no particular master," i. e. blindly addicted to the tenets of no particular 
sect. The addicti were properly those debtors whom the praetor adjudged 
to their creditors, to be committed to prison, or otherwise secured, until 
satisfaction was made. Soldiers, however, were also called addicti, in al- 
lusion to the military oath which they took when enrolled. It is in this 
last sense that Horace here uses the word, an idea arising probably from 
duce in the preceding verse. The expression addictus jur are is a Graecism 
for addictus ut jurem. — 15. Quo me cunque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes. 
A pleasing image, borrowed from the sea. " Whithersoever the tempest 
hurries me, thither am I borne a guest," i. e. to the writings of whatsoever 
philosopher, the inclination of the moment, or the course of events, shall 
drive me, with them do I take up my abode, but only as a guest, and as 
one who intends, when circumstances shall demand it, to retire to some 
other quarter. The poet here describes himself as a species of Eclectic 
philosopher, culling from the doctrines of different sects whatever appears 
to approach nearest to the truth, but blindly following the general autho- 
rity of none. 

16 — 18. 16. Nunc agilis jio, Ike. " Now I become an active man, and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE I. 531 

plunge amid the waves of public life," i. e. now I follow the precepts of the 
stoic sect, and lead an active life amid the bustle of public affairs. The 
Stoics directly inculcated the propriety of their wise man's exerting his 
best, endeavours for the general welfare of those around him, and the 
common good of mankind. Attention to civil, or public affairs would be a 
necessary consequence of this rule. — 18. Nunc in Jlristippi furtim, &c 
" Now I glide back insensibly into the precepts of Aristippus." Aristippus, 
the founder of the Cyrenaic seect, made the summum bonum consist in 
pleasure. Consult note on Sat. 2. 2. 99. 

21 — 23. 21. Opus debentibus. The allusion is a general one to all who 
owe the performance of any daily task or labour, either for actual hire, or 
from situation and circumstances. — Ut piger annus pupillis, &c. "As the 
year moves slowly to minors, whom the strict watchfulness of mothers re- 
strains." Since minors were not under the guardianship of their mothers, 
the reference here must of course be to that watchful care which a parent 
exercises over her young offspring, in restraining them from the paths of 
dissipation, and teaching them the lessons of frugality and virtue. — 23. Sic 
mite tarda-jluunt ingrataque tempora, &c. The poet, ardently desirous of 
making a rapid advance in the pursuit of true wisdom, and perceiving, at 
the same time, how little the actual progress he had made accorded with 
his own wishes, well describes, by the comparisons here employed, the 
impatience under which he labours, at being withheld from a speedy con- 
sumation of what he so earnestly covets. — 24. Quod ceque pauperibus pro- 
dest, locupletibus ceque, &c. These lines contain a true and well-merited 
eulogium on wisdom. For, as it is what equally concerns rich and poor, 
and what, when neglected, proves equally injurious to young and old, it 
naturally follows that the study of it ought to be our first care, as being es- 
sential to our happiness. 

27 — 34. 27. Restal, ut his ego me, &c. The connection in the train of 
ideas is as follows : Since I cannot then embrace in its full extent that 
wisdom which I so earnestly desire, " it remains for me to govern and 
console myself by these first principles of philosophy." The maxim which 
the poet proceeds to inculcate is this : Never aim at any thing beyond the 
powers which nature has bestowed on thee, but use care and diligence in 
their preservation and improvement. This position is illustrated by two 
examples : Who is so wanting in judgment as, because he has not the 
keenness of sight which Lynceus is fabled to have possessed, to neglect 
the care of his eyes ? or who, because he cannot boast of a frame like that 
of Glycon,will take no pains to remove or avert diseases from the one that 
he has? — 39. Glyconis. Glycon was a famous gladiator in the time of 
Horace. — 32. Est quad am prodire tenus, &c. " It is always in our power to 
advance to a certain point, if it is not permitted us to go farther." Est is 
here equivalent to licet, as, in Greek, Ian for s%eari. — 33. Miseroque cupi- 
dine. " And with a wretched desire for more." The difference between 
avarice and a desire of increasing our wealth is here strongly marked. 
The former dares not enjoy what it possesses, the latter ardently wishes 
for whatever seems to gratify its desires. — 34. Sunt verba et voces. " There 
are words and charms." The precepts of philosophy, by which we are 
commanded to drive from our breasts every avaricious and covetous feel- 
ing, are here beautifully compared to the incantations and charms by 
which, according to the popular belief, diseases were thought to be expel- 
led from the human frame. 

36 — 40. 36. Laudis amm-e tumes ? "Dost thou swell with the love of 
48 



532 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE I. 

praise ?" i. e. art thou influenced by an eager desire for praise ? Tumeo la 
frequently thus applied to denote any strong affection or desire, under the 
influence of which the mind, as it were, swells forth. — Sunt cerla piacula, 
qucz te, &c. " There are sure and cleansing remedies, which will restore 
thee to moral health, if some treatise of philosophy be thrice read over with 
purity of mind." — Piacula. Compare the remark of Cruquius: "Piacula: 
Medicamenta purganlia, Kaddpau;, i.e. prcecepta philosophica. — 37. Terpure 
lecto. The number three, as here employed, appears to contain some al- 
lusion to the religious customs of antiquity, in accordance with which, they 
who purified themselves were compelled to sprinkle their persons thrice 
with lustral water, or thrice to plunge the head in some running stream. — 
38. Jlmator. "Libidinous." — 40. Culturce. "To the lessons of wisdom." 
Compare the explanation of Doring; "Culturce : praiceptis, quibus animus 
excolalur?'' Philosophy, says Cicero, is the culture of the mind (cultura 
animi philosophia est ;) it tears up our vices by the roots; it prepares the 
soul to receive the seeds of virtue, and sows whatever will produce the 
most plentiful harvest. 

41 — 47. 41. Sapientia prima. " The beginning of wisdom." — 43. 
Exiguum censum. " A small fortune." — 44. Capitisque labore. "And 
risk of life." — 45. Curris mercator ad Indos. Before the reduction of 
Egypt, as Sanadon remarks, the passage to India was unknown to the 
Romans. Strabo tells us, that while iElius Gallus governed Egypt, 
A.U. C. 727, a fleet of twenty-six merchantmen set sail from Myos- 
hormus, on the Sinus Arabicus, for India. It was then that the Roman 
navigation between Egypt and India began to be regulated. As regards 
the term mercator, consult note on Ode 1.1.1 6. — 46. Per ignes. A pro- 
verbial form of expression, equivalent in effect to per summa quaque pe- 
llicula. — 47. JVe cares ea, qua stulte miraris, &c. " Art thou unwilling 
to learn, and to hear, and to trust thyself to the guidance of some wiser 
friend, that thou mayest no longer care for those things which thou fool- 
ishly ad mirest and wishest for?" Discere here applies to instruction 
obtained by perusing the works of philosophers, and audire to that which 
is received by listening to their oral teaching. 

49 — 51. 49. Qjuis pugnax. "What petty champion." The idea 
intended to be conveyed is as follows : Who would not rather be 
crowned at the Olympic games, especially if he could obtain the palm 
there without the necessity of exertion, than roam about, a village cham- 
pion, and spend his days in ignoble conflicts? Or, in more general lan- 
guage : Who is there that would prefer things of a low and humble na- 
ture, such as riches and the world's honours, to the pursuit of true wis- 
dom, which no danger accompanies, and which carries with it no cares 
or anxieties to embitter our existence? — 50. Magna coronari contemnat 
Olympia. " Will scorn being crowned at the great Olympic games." 
Magna coronari Olympia is in imitation of the Greek idiom, arcpavotJaQai 
'OA6/iffia, in place of the regular Latin form, coronari in magrtis Olympiis. 
— 51. Cui sit conditio dulcis sine pulvere palmoz. "Who shall have the 
condition proposed to him, of gaining without toil the glorious palm." 
As regards the rewards bestowed at the Olympic and other games, as 
well as respecting the nature of these games themselves, consult note 
on Ode 1. 1. 3. and 1. 1. 5. — Sine pulvere. As to the possibility of a vic- 
tor's obtaining the prize at the Olympic, or any other, games, without 
toil or exertion, it may be remarked, that this could easily happen, if no 
antagonist came forward to meet the champion. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE I. 533 

52 — 60. 52. VUius argentum est auro, &c. The poet now enters on 
a general train of reasoning, in order to show the superiority of virtue 
over all that the world prizes, and makes the object of its pursuit. If 
what is more valuable, argues he, is to be preferred to what is less so, 
then is virtue to be preferred to gold, as gold is to silver. The maxims 
of the day, it is true, teach that money is first to be acquired, and virtue 
after money ; but be it thine to obtain that before all other things, which 
brings with it a conscience unstained by guilt, and a countenance that 
never changes from a sense of crime. — 54. Hcec Janus summus ab imo 
prodocet. " These precepts the highest Janus from the lowest openly 
inculcates," i. e. this is the language openly held by the money-dealers 
of the day. Consult note on Sat. 2. 3. 18. — 55. Prodocet. Pro has here 
the same force in composition, as in producere, prof err e, prodire, &c. 
— Hcec dictata. " These maxims." — 55. " Lcevo suspensi loculos, &c. 
Compare Sat. 1. 6. 74. — 58. Sed quadringentis sex septem millia desint. 
" But to complete the four hundred thousand sesterces, six or seven 
thousand may be wanting." Four hundred thousand sesterces was the 
fortune which a person must possess before he could be enrolled among 
the Equestrian order. It is on this rulo that the remark of the poet 
turns. Thou hast spirit, good morals, eloquence, and unshaken fidelity, 
but it may so happen that thy fortune is not exactly equal to the eques- 
trian standard : well then, a Plebeian wilt thou remain, and all thy good 
qualities will be as dust in the balance. — 59. Mpueri ludentes, Rex 
eris, diunt, &c. The play to which the poet here alludes, is supposed to 
have been a kind of game at ball, in which the one who made the fewest 
failures received the appellation of king. — 60. Hie mums aheneus esto, 
&c. This noble passage is introduced by the poet as a species of paren- 
thesis, and springs naturally as it were from the cry of the boys in their 
game. After having given it utterance, he returns, in the 62d verse, to 
the regular course of his subject, 

62—69. 62. Roscia lex. Alluding to the law of L. Roscius Otho, 
which assigned to the Equites, at the public spectacles, fourteen rows of 
seats, separate from the rest, and next the Orchestra, or place where the 
senators sat. 63. Naznia. " The song." The common import of the 
term in question is, a funeral song, or dirge. — 64. Et maribus Curiis et 
decantata Camtilis. " Sung even in manhood both by the Curii and the 
Camilli." Literally: "sung both by the manly Curii and Camilli." 
The idea intended to be conveyed is this, that the song of the boys, 
offering the kingdom to those that do right, was not merely sung by 
Curius and Camillus in the days of their boyhood, but the principle 
which it inculcated was acted upon by them even in maturer years, and 
their applause was given not to the rich but to the virtuous and the 
good. — 65. Qui, rem facias. " Who advises thee, to make money ; 
money, if thou canst, by fair means ; if not, money in any way." With 
qui understand suadet. — 67. TJt propius spectes lacrymosa poemata Pupi. 
" That thou mayest view from a nearer bench the moving tragedies of 
Pupius," i. e. may witness the representation as an Eques, seated on 
one of the fourteen rows assigned to that order by the law of Otho : in 
other words, that thou mayest attain to Equestrian rank. Compare 
note on verse 62. — 67. Pupi. Pupius, a dramatic writer, famed for the 
effect produced by his tragedies in moving an audience to tears. — 68. 
Responsare. " To resist." Compare Serm. 2. 7. 85. — 69. Prcesens. 
" Standing by," i. e. adding weight to his precepts by his presence. 

70—79. 70. Cur non ut porticibus, &c. "Why I do not hold to the 



634 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE I. 

same sentiments with them, as I enjoy the same porticoes, and do not 
pursue or shun whatever they themselves admire or dislike." Consult 
note on Sat. 1. 4. 134. — 74. Qwia me vestigia terrent, &c. The fox 
dreaded the treachery of the lion, the poet shrinks from the corrupt sen- 
timents and morals of the populace. — 76. Bellua multorwn est capitum. 
" It is a many-headed monster." The people, ever prone to error, and 
constantly changing from one species of vice to another, are here not 
unaptly compared to the Lernean hydra, (Snptov TwXvufya'kov.) — 77. Con- 
ducere publica. " In farming the public revenues." U nderstand vectiga- 
lia. Hence the farmers of the revenue, who were principally of Eques- 
trian rank, were styled Publicani. The office was much more honour- 
able at Rome, than in the provinces, where the inferior agents practised 
every kind of extortion. — 79. Excipiantque senes, quos in vivaria mittant. 
" And catch old men, whom they may send to their ponds." Old men 
are here compared to fish, as in Sat. 2. 5. 44. " Plures annabunt thun- 
ni, et cetaria crescent." Excipere is the proper term to be used here. 
Compare the Greek J/c<S£%s<x0aj. Both are here used to denote the se- 
curing of any prey or game. — Vivaria. A general term to express places 
where living animals are kept for future use. We have rendered it by 
the word "ponds," as the reference here appears to be to the same idea 
which has already been expressed in Sat. 2. 5. 44. Compare note on 
verse 79. 

80 — 86. 80. Verum esto, aliis alios rebus studiisque teneri, &c. " But 
grant, that different men are engaged in different employments and pur- 
suits : can the same persons continue for a single hour praising the same 
things?" It were of little consequence that mankind differed from each 
other, if they could agree with themselves. We might believe they had 
found the way to happiness, if they would always continue in it. But 
how can they direct us with certainty, who are not determined them- 
selves ? — 83. Nidlus in orbe sinus Bails prcelucet amanis. " No bay in 
the world surpasses in beauty the delightful Baise." — 84. Lacus et mare 
sentit amorem, &c. " The lake and the sea experience the eagerness of 
the impatient master," i. e. buildings immediately rise along the margin 
of the Lucrine lake, and the shores of the sea. Consult note on Ode 2. 
15. 3. — 85. Cui si vitiosa libido fee er it auspicium, &c. "To whom, if 
sickly caprice shall give the omen, he will cry, to-morrow, workmen, 
you will convey your tools to Teanum," i. e. if the sickly fancy once come 
across his brain, receiving it as an auspicious omen he will immediately 
abandon his plans at Baias, and will leave the vicinity of the sea for the 
interior of the country. The force and spirit of the passage consists in 
the opposition between Baiae, situate on the coast, and Teanum, an in- 
land town. — 86. Teanum. There were two towns of this name in Italy, 
one in Apulia, on the right bank of the river Frento, (now Fortore,) and 
called for distinction' sake Jlppidum; and the other in Campania, about 
fifteen miles north-west of Capua. This last is the one here alluded to. 
It was famed for the beauty of the surrounding country, and became 
one of the favourite places of resort for the Roman nobility and men of 
wealth, who erected splendid villas in its neighbourhood. Some cold 
acidulous springs are noticed in its vicinity by the ancient writers ; they 
are now called Jlcqua delle Caldarelle. The Teanum of which we are 
here speaking, received the epithet of Sidicinum, from its being situate 
among the Sidicini, and as contradistinguished from the first one men- 
tioned. 

87 — 92. 37. Lectus genialis in aula est. " The nuptial couch stands 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I. EPISTLE I. 535 

in his hall," i. e. is he a married man ? The nuptial couch was placed 
in the hall, opposite the door, and covered with flowers. — 89. Si non est. 
"If it does not stand there," i. e. if he is not married. — 90. Protea. Al- 
luding to the rich man, full of capricious fancies, and whose opinions 
undergo as many changes as Proteus was capable of assuming forms. 
91. Quid pauper ? ride, ul mutat, &c. It might well seem that this in- 
consistency, this wandering of spirit, was peculiar to the rich alone, but 
it is the folly of human nature, to which the poor are equally liable, al- 
though they are guilty of it only in miniature. — Coenacula, lectos, balnea, 
tonsores. " His lodgings, couches, baths, barbers." By coenacula are 
meant the highest chambers or apartments in a house, those immediately 
under the roof, which at Rome, in consequence of the great population 
of the city, and the want of other accommodations, were filled by the 
poorer sort of people. Compare Vitruvius, 2. 8. ad fin. The term lectos 
is meant to refer to the place of supping, some eating-house or tavern, 
which the poor man changes with as much fastidious caprice as the rich 
do the scenes of their splendid entertainments. As to the balnea, or 
baths, it may be remarked, that these were the public ones, which the 
poor were accustomed to use ; for the rich had private baths of their 
own : while, as the number of tonstrinae, or barber's shops, was far from 
small, a person might easily consult variety in changing from one to 
another at pleasure. — 92 Conduclonavigio aeqve nauseat, &c. "He is as 
fastidious in a hired boat, as the rich man whom his own galley 
conveys." Nauseat is here equivalent to opplctur fastidio. Some com- 
mentators give it a much plainer signification. 

94 — 104. 94. Curatus inaequali tonsore capillos. " With my hair cut 
by an uneven barber," i. e. in an uneven manner. By the expression 
inizqualis tonsor is meant, in fact, a barber who cuts in an uneven man- 
ner. Horace, in this as well as in what follows, applies to himself, not 
what properly belongs to him, but to any individual who comes forth 
into public in the state here described. — 95. Si forte subucula pexce, &c. 
" If I chance to have a threadbare shirt under a new tunic." The subu- 
cula was a woollen garment, worn next the skin, like the modern shirt. 
It was also called Indusium, and by later writers, Interula and Camisia. 
Linen cloths were not used by the ancient Romans, and are seldom men- 
tioned in the classics. — Pexce. Literally, " with the nap on," i. e. new. 
—96. Impar. "Too much on one side." — 97. Pugnat secum. "Con- 
tradicts itself." — 99. Jiestuat. " Fluctuates." — Disconvenit. " Is at va- 
riance with."— 101. Insanire pntas solennia me ? " Dost thou Ihink me 
affected with the current madness ?" i. e. with a madness common to all 
the world. — 102. JVec curatores egere a prcetore dati. Consult note on 
Sat. 2. 3. 217. — 104. Et prave sectum stomacheris ob unguem. Compare 
the explanation of Bothe : " Cum talem mei curam geris, ut vel in levissi- 
viis peccare me nolis." 

106 — 108. 106. Jld summam. "To conclude." — Sapiens uno minor 
est Jove, &c. The idea with which the poet intends to conclude his 
epistle, is this, that he alone is happy who regulates his life by the max- 
ims of wisdom. In order to express" this, he adopts the language which 
the Stoics of the day were fond of using in reference to the superior 
privileges of their wise man. As the Stoics, however, carried their no- 
tions of their wise man to a ridiculous length, it is easy to perceive that 
Horace, though he embraced what was good in the philosophical tenets 
of this sect, could not give into their ridiculous paradoxes. Hence the 
piece of raillery with which the epistle terminates. — 108. Pmcime sanus, 



bdb EXPLANATORY NOTES, — BOOK I. EPISTLE II. 

&c. The Stoics regarded a sound and healthy frame as among the 
many advantages which their discipline conferred. But, after alluding 
to this, the poet sarcastically adds, nisi qnum pituita molesta est, meaning 
to imply, that there were occasions when the wise man of the stoics was 
brought down to the level of the common herd. In order to comprehend 
the full force of the raillery here employed, we must bear in mind, that 
they who labour under any defluxion of phlegm, experience at the same 
time a dulness in the senses of smell and taste, and that this, applied in 
a figurative sense to the intellect, conveys the idea of an unfitness for any 
subtle examination of things, or any nice exercise of judgment. Hence 
it will be perceived, that sanus in the text is purposely used in an ambi- 
guous sense, as referring not merely to the body, but also to the mind. 
— Pituita. To be pronounced, in metrical reading as a trisyllable, pit- 
wita. 



Epistle 2. Horace, having retired for some time into the country, 
had taken the opportunity of that solitude to read over Homer again 
with particular attention, and, writing to his friend Lollius at Rome, 
sends him his remarks upon that poet, and an explanation of what he 
takes to be the main design of his two poems. He finds that the works 
of this admirable poet are one continued lesson of wisdom and virtue, 
and that he gives the strongest picture of the miseries of vice, and the 
fatal consequences of ungoverned passion. From this he takes occasions 
to launch forth in praise of wisdom and moderation, and shows, that, to 
be really happy, we must learn to have the command of ourselves. The 
passions are headstrong, unwilling to listen to advice, and always push 
us on to extremities. To yield to them is to engage in a series of rash 
and inconsiderate steps, and create matter of deep regret to ourselves 
in time to come. A present gratification, thus obtained, is a dear pur- 
chase, and what no wise man will covet, 

1 — 3. 1. Maxiine Lolli. " Eldest Lollius." Understand natu. The 
individual here addressed would appear to have been the son of M. Lol- 
lius Palicanus, who was consul with Q,. iEmilius Lepidus. — 2. Dum tu 
declamas Romce. "Whilst thou art exercising thyself at Rome, in the 
art of public speaking." Young persons of distinction at Rome, whose 
views were directed towards a public life, were accustomed to exercise 
themselves in oratory, by declamations in private on feigned subjects, 
and it is to this practice that the text alludes. — Prmneste relegi. " I have 
read over again at Praneste." Consult note on Ode 3. 4. 23. — 3. Pul- 
chrum. " Becoming." Analogous to the tu mMv of the Greeks. — fluid 
non. " What injurious." The poet does not merely mean what is sim- 
ply useless, but what also brings injury along with it. 

4 — 8. 4. Planius. " More clearly." — Chrysippo. Consult note on Sat. 
1.3. 127. — Crantoxc. Crantor was a philosopher of the Old Academy, 
Who studied under Xenocrates and Polemo. He adhered to the Platonic 
system, and was the first that wrote commentaries on the works of Plato. 
— 6. Fabida, qua Paridis propter, &c. The poet now proceeds to substan- 
tiate his position, that Homer, by various examples of folly, crime, unlaw- 
ful passion, and anger, on the one hand, and wisdom, piety, virtue, and 
moderation, on the other, accurately delineated, and forcibly placed before 
the eyes of his readers, conveys the lessons of philosophy with greater 
clearness and better success than either Chrysippus or Crantor. Fabula 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE II. 537 

must here be rendered, " the story." — 7. Barbarice lento collisa duello. " To 
have been engaged in conflict, during a long protracted war, with a barba- 
rian land." Literally, "to have been dashed against." This line is thought, 
both from the use of collisa and the presence of duellum, to have been ei- 
ther taken or imitated from Ennius. — 8. Stultontm regum et populorum con- 
tinet cestus. "Contains a narrative of the effects produced by the excited 
passions of foolish princes and their people." JEstus is here equivalent to 
affectus concitatos. Compare verse 15. 

.9 — 14. 9. Jlntenor censet, &c. An tenor, one of the most prudent of the 
Trojans, and adding the authority of age to the weight of his advice, re- 
commends that Helen be given up, and " that they cut off" in this way " the 
whole cause of the war." — 10. Qtiod Paris, ut salvus regnet, &c. "Paris 
declares, that he cannot be induced to take this step, even though it be in 
order that he may reign in safety, and enjoy a happy life." — 12. Festinat. 
"Is anxious." — 13. Hunc. Hunc refers to Agamemnon. Horace, intend- 
ing at first to assign love as the impelling cause in the case of Agamemnon, 
and anger in that of Achilles, corrects himself, as it were, and subjoins 
quidem, with the view of showing that both the chieftains were equally 
under the influence of resentment. Agamemnon, therefore, compelled to 
surrender Chryseis, whom he passionately loved, to her father-, and in- 
flamed with anger toward Achilles, the chief instigator to this step, de- 
prived the latter of his prize Brisei's. — 14. Quict/nid ddirant reges, plectun- 
tur Jlchivi. "The Greeks suffer for whatever folly their princes commit." 
The intransitive verb deliro obtains here a transitive force, because an ac- 
tion exerted upon an object is implied, though not described, in it. 

17 — 27. 17. Rursum. The allusion is now to the Odyssey. — 19. Provi- 
dus. " Carefully." — 22. Immersabilis. " Not to be sunk." — 24. Stultus 
cupidusque. " Like a fool, and a man enslaved by his passions." Ulysses 
did not taste the contents of the cup, until he had made use of the plant 
given him by Mercury, as of sovereign power against enchantments. — 25. 
Turpis et excors. " A debased and senseless slave." — 26. Vixisset canis 
immundus. Supply sicuti before canis. — 27. JV'os nwnerus sumus, &c. 
" We are a mere number." JVrwnerus is here a word of contempt, and 
spoken of men as mere cyphers, who served no other end but to fill up 
places. The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : We, therefore, 
who do not follow the example of virtue and of wisdom, which is set be- 
fore us in the character of Ulysses, seem born only to consume the pro- 
ductions of the earth, and to add to the bulk of mankind. We are no bet- 
ter than the suitors of Penelope ; we are no better than the effeminate and 
luxurious Phosacians, whose chief employment consisted in pampering 
their bodies, in prolonging their slumbers until mid-day, and in dispelling 
their cares with wine, dancing, and song. 

28 — 30. 28. Sponsi Penelopes, nebulones Mcinoique. " Mere suitors of 
Penelope, mere effeminate and luxurious subjects of Alcinous." The 
term nebulones is here used in a somewhat softened sense, though still 
full of reproach, and the allusion is to the Phasacians, over whom Alcinous 
ruled, and who were famed for their soft and effeminate mode of life, as 
well as their luxurious indulgence. The Phaeacia of Homer was the Corcyra 
of later geography, now Corfu. — 29. In cute curanda plus cequo operataju- 
ventus. "A race occupied, more than was proper, in pampering theirbodies," 
i. e. in feasting and the pleasures of the table. The allusion is still to the 
subjects of Alcinous, and this is continued to the end of the 31st verse. — 



538 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE II. 

30. Et ad slrepitum citharoz cessatum ducere curam. "And to lull their cares 
to rest by the tones of the lyre." Cessatum is the supine. 

32 — 37. 32. Ut jugulent homines, &c. The poet now calls off the 
attention of his young friend from the picture he has just drawn of indo- 
lence and effeminacy, to the importance of active and industrious exertion 
in promoting the great ends of moral and mental improvement. — 33. Ut 
te ipsum sei-ves. " To save thyself," i. e. from the evils attendant on sloth- 
ful indolence. — 33. Jltqui si notes sanus, curres hydropicus. "Well then, 
if thou wilt not use exercise when in health, thou wilt have to run when 
dropsical." People in the dropsy were ordered by their physicians to use 
active exercise. Horace, it will be observed, intends the allusion to the 
dropsy in a metaphorical sense, and the idea which he means to convey is 
simply this: If thou wilt not exert thy power when thou canst, thou shalt 
be made to do so when no alternative is left. — 34. Et ni posces ante diem 
librum cum limine. According to the old Roman custom, every individual 
arose at the break of day to attend to his particular avocations. To 
prolong one's slumbers into the day, as the luxurious Phaeacians did, 
would have been as dishonourable to a freeman as appearing abroad in- 
toxicated in the public streets. To get up, therefore, before break of day, 
for the purposes of mental improvement, was not requiring too much of 
a young man of family like Lollius, who was desirous of acting a distin- 
guished part on the theatre of life, and who would therefore feel the 
strongest inducement to put in operation this good old rule of former days. 
— 37. Vigil. " In thy waking moments," i. e. after thou shalt have ex- 
tended thy slumbers into the middle of the day. The allusion in the 
words invidia vel amore is not merely to these passions in particular, but to 
all the depraved desires and affections which mental culture, and the pur- 
suits of philosophy, can alone drive away. 

39 — 43. 39. Est animum, "Preys upon the mind." — 40. Dimidium 
facti, qui co-pit, habet. Compare the Greek proverb, apxfi %mru itavrbs — 
42. Rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis, &c. With rusticus supply ut or 
sicuti. The leading idea in the comparison here instituted is as follows : 
He who neglects the present season for self-improvement, and keeps 
waiting for some more favourable opportunity to arrive, waits in vain, like 
the rustic on the river's bank, who foolishly thought that the stream would 
flow by and become exhausted : for time, like that stream, glides along in 
rapid course, and the hour which has once passed will never return. — 43. 
Volubilis. " Rolling on." 

44 — 54. 44. Quarilnr argentum, puerisque, &c. The connection in 
the train of ideas is as follows : The bulk of mankind, however, pay little 
if any attention to mental culture and the lessons of wisdom and virtue. 
Their chief object of pursuit is the accumulation of wealth. — Puerisque 
beata creandis uxor. "And a rich and fruitful spouse." It may be 
doubted whether pueris creandis, as here employed, should be at all trans- 
lated, and whether it is not rather a mere formal expression, borrowed 
from the language of the Roman nuptials. — 45. Pacantur. " Are sub- 
dued." The poet, by the use of this term, would seem to ridicule the 
excessive desire on the part of the Romans of extending their cultivated 
grounds, so as to strive to subject to the plough the most stubborn soils, 
and even to bend the forests to its sway.— -48. Dtduxit. " Can remove." 
Equivalent to depellere valet. — 49. Valeat possessor oportet. " Their pos- 
sessor must enjoy health both of body and of mind." That valeat here 
refers not merely to bodily, but also to mental, health, is evident from the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE III. 539 

Slst verse and what follows: — 51. Qui cupit ante metuit. "Who is a 
slave to desire or to fear," i. e. who is continually desiring more, or else 
fears to touch what he at present has, as if it were something sacred. 
Metuit, however, may also refer to the fear of being robbed of one's dar- 
ling treasures.- — 52. Ut lippum pictas tabula. That strength of colouring, 
which gives greater pleasure to a good eye, affects a weak one with 
greater pain. — Fomenta podagrum. Fomentations are spoken of by the 
ancient physicians, among the remedies for the gout, though but little 
real good was effected by them. The disorder in question proceeds from 
such an inward sharpness of humours, as no outward remedies can cor- 
rect. We must regulate our whole course of life in hopes of a cure. — 53. 
Auriculas citharaz collecta sorde dolentes. "The tones of the lyre, ears that 
labour with collected filth." Dolentes is here equivalent to Male se haben- 
tes. — 54. Sincerum est nisi vas, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is 
this ; unless the mind is pure, and free from the contamination of vice, 
whatever enters will become in like manner vitiated. As regards the 
term sincerum, consult note on Sat. 1. 3. 55. 

55 — 70. 55. Emta dolore. " When purchased with pain," i. e. when 
so purchased that pain follows after it. — 56. Certum voio pete finem. 
" Seek a certain limit for thy wishes," i. e. set a fixed limit to thy wishes. 
58. Siculi tyranni. Alluding to Phalaris and Dionysius the elder in par- 
ticular. — 60. Dolor quod suaserit amens. "Which mad resentment shall 
have prompted. " — 61. Dumpanas odio per vim festinal inulto. "While 
he is impatient to satiate his unappeased anger." — 64. Fingit equum tenera 
docilem, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : As steeds and 
hounds are trained when young, so should our earlier years be given to 
the lessons of wisdom and virtue, for the mind, at that period of life, easily 
receives impressions, and what is then learnt is seldom forgotten. — 66. 
Cervinam pellem latravit in aula. Alluding to the custom of training up 
young hounds by placing before them the skin of a stag, stuffed with 
straw or other materials, so as to resemble the living animal. — In aula. 
"In the court-yard." Aula is here a court-yard, or area generally, en- 
closed on all sides, and in which young dogs were trained to the hunt. 
67. Nunc adbibe puro pectm-e verba, &c. " Now, in the days of thy 
youth, drink deep into thy pure breast the language of instruction ; now 
give thyself up to those who are wiser." Verba may also be here ren- 
dered, " these my words," but with less propriety and force. — 69. Quo se- 
mel est imbuta recens, &c. " A jar will long retain the odour of" the liquor, 
with which, when new, it was once impregnated." — 70. Quod si cessas, 
&c. The idea intended to be here conveyed is thus expressed by Fran- 
cis, from Torrentius and Dacier. If thou wilt run the race of wisdom 
with me, let us run together ; for if thou stoppest or endeavourest to get 
before me, I shall neither wait for thee, nor strive to overtake thee. When 
we enter the lists of virtue, to wait for those behind us is indolence, too 
earnestly to pursue those before us ts envy. 



Epistle 3. In the year of the city 731, Tiberius was sent at the head 
of an army into Dalmatia. Julius Floras, to whom this epistle is ad- 
dressed, was in his train. He continued visiting and regulating the pro- 
vinces until the year 734, when he received orders from Augustus to 
march to Armenia, and replace Tigranes on the throne. It is at this 
time that Horace writes to Floras. Our poet here marks the route of 
Tiberius through Thrace, and across the Hellespont, into Asia Minor, 



540 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE 1H. 

thus making his epistle a kind of public historical monument. Floras 
had reproached the bard for never writing to him, and the latter, in a 
pleasant kind of revenge, reckons a large number of particulars of pub- 
lic and private news which he expected in answer to his letter. It would 
seem, however, that Horace had also another object in view, and this 
was to make his friend sensible, how prejudicial to him his ambition and 
his love of riches were, which he does in the softest and most friendly 



1 — 3. 1. Juli Flore. This is the same with the one to whom the 
second epistle of the second book is inscribed. He is there called the 
faithful friend of Nero, whence it has been conjectured that he was a 
person of consideration at court. — 2. Claudius Jiugusti privignus. The 
reference is to Tiberius Claudius Nero, son of Tiberius Nero and Livia. 
He is here styled "the step-son of Augustus," from his mother's having 
married that emperor. The expedition, on which the prince was sent, 
has been already alluded to in the Introductory Remarks. As the ex- 
pedition to which we are referring was made with great dispatch, it was 
sometimes not exactly known at Rome where the army was. Hence 
the questions put by the poet. — 3. Thracane. As regards the Greek 
form Thraca, here employed for Thracia, compare the remark of the 
schokast : " Grace prohdit epfji") pro Thracia." Tiberius directed his 
course through Macedonia into Thrace. — Hebrusque nivali compede vinc- 
tus. The expedition was made in the winter-season. As regards the 
Hebrus itself, consult note on Ode 3. 25. 10. — 4. Jin freta vicinas inter 
currentia turres. A description of the Hellespont. — Morantur. Equi- 
valent to detinent. 

6 — 14. 6. Stiuliosa cohors. " The studious train." The young Ro- 
mans who attended Tiberius in this expedition, at once to form his court 
and to guard his person, were men of letters and genius ; whence they 
are here styled studiosa cohors. To the number of these belonged Titius, 
Celsus, and Munatius, mentioned in the course of the epistle. — Operum. 
Governed by quid, and alluding to the literary labours of the individuals 
composing the shuliosa cohors.— 8. Bella quis et puces longum diffundit in 
eevum ? " Who transmits his wars and treaties of peace to distant ages ?" 
i. e. the martial and peaceful glories of his reign. — 9. Titius. The same 
with the Titius Septimius to whom the sixth ode of the second book is 
inscribed. This individual appears to have been a young man, devoted 
to poetical studies, and who intended in a short time to publish his works. 
(Romana brevi ventums in ora.) — 10. Pindarici fontis qui non expalluit 
haustus, &c. " Who, having dared to contemn the lakes and streams 
open to the use of all, has not feared to drink of the Pindaric spring," 
i. e. who has separated himself from the herd of common poets, and, 
aiming at higher efforts, has boldly taken the Grecian Pindar for his 
model. — 12. Ut valet ? " How is he ?" — Fidibusne Latinis Thebanos, &c. 
Alluding to his imitation of Pindar, a native of Thebes, in Latin verse. 
— 13. Jluspice Musa. " Under the favouring auspices of the Muse." — 
14. An tragica descevit et ampullatur in arte ? " Or does he rage and 
swell in tragic strains ?" Horace, while he praises his friend Titius, 
appears at the same time, from the language of the text, especially from 
the irony implied in ampullatur, to designate him as a turgid poet. 

15—20. 15. Quid mihi celsus agit ? "What is my Celsus doing?" 
The pronouns mihi, tibi, sibi,nobis, vobis, are often used in this way, with 
the force of possessives, and in imitation of the Greek idiom. This is 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE III. 541 

often done for the purpose of gentle sarcasm, as in the present instance. 
The individual here alluded to is generally supposed to have been the 
same with Celsus Albinovanus, to whom the eighth epistle of this book 
is inscribed. He appears to have been addicted to habits of plagiarism. 
— 16. Privatas opes. " Treasures of his own." Opes here applies to the 
literary resources of individuals. — 17. Palaiimis Jlpollo. An allusion to 
the Palatine library, where the writings of the day, if useful or valuable, 
were treasured up along with the productions of other nations and times. 
The Palatine library was founded by Augustus A. U. C. 726. It was 
connected with the temple of Apollo on the Palatine hill, and was filled 
with the works of the best Greek and Latin authors. — 19. Cornicula. 
Supply sicuti. The allusion is to the well-known fable of iEsop, ex- 
cepting that, for the more common term graculus, we have here cornicula. 
— 20. Furtivis nudata coloribus. " Stripped of its stolen colours," i. e. 
stripped of the feathers of the peacock, which it had assumed for its 
own. 

21 — 26. 21. Agilis. "Like the industrious bee."' Horace, on a 
former occasion, has compared himself to the same little creature. (Ode 
4. 2. 27.) — 22. JVoji incidtum est et turpiter hirtum. " It is not uncultivated 
and shamefully rough." The mental powers in their neglected state, 
are aptly compared to a field left without culture, and rough with briars 
and thorns. — 23. Seu linguam causis acuis. " Whether thou art sharp- 
ening thy tongue for causes," i. e. training thyself for public speaking. 
— 23. Civicajura respondere. " To give answers on points of civil law." 
— 24. Amabile carmen, " The pleasing strain." — 25. Prima feres edercs 
victricis prcemia. Compare Ode 1. L 29. — 26. Frigida curarum /omenta. 
" The cold fomentors of care." A beautiful expression. The poet is 
alluding to ambition, and to a love of riches : these increase our cares, 
and at the same time render the breast cold and dead to the lessons of 
virtue, and the inspirations of poetry. — 28. Hoc opus, hoc stadium. Al- 
luding to the practice of virtue and wisdom. 

30 — 36. 30. Si libi curce, quanta conveniat Munatius. " Whether thou 
hast still that regard for Munatius which becomes thee," i. e. whether 
thou art still on the same terms of friendship with one, between whom 
and thee there never ought to have been the least variance. The indi- 
vidual here styled Munatius is thought to have been the son of that Muna- 
tius Plancus, who was consul A. U. C. 712, and to whom the 7th Ode ot 
the first book is addressed. The son himself obtained the consulship, A. 
U. C. 766. There would seem to have been a difference between the lat- 
ter and Floras, which their common friends had united themselves to 
heal. Such forced reconciliations, however, are generally as little durable 
as sincere, and the poet therefore is afraid lest this one may soon be inter- 
rupted. — 31. An male sarta gratia nequidquam coit et rescinditur ? "Or 
does the ill-sewn reconciliation close to no purpose, and is it getting again 
rent asunder?" We have translated the expression male sarta. literally, 
in order to preserve more effectually the force of the allusion. The refer- 
ence is to a wound, badly sewn up, and which begins to bleed afresh. — 33. 
Calidus sanguis. "The hot blood of youth." — Inscitia rerum. "Want 
of experience." — 34. Indpmita cervice. "Withuntamed neck." — 35. Indigni. 
"Too worthy." — Fraternum rumpere fadus. Dacier thinks that Florus 
and Munatius were brothers by the mother's side, and sees no reason, 
from the difference of names, why they might not also be brothers by the 
father's side, as Murena and Proculeius. Sanadon, however, makes them 
entirely different families j and says, that the expressions employed in the 



542 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE IV. 

text mean no more than that Floras and Munatius had formerly loved 
one another as brothers. This is certainly the more correct opinion. — 36. 
In vestrum reditum. "Against your return." The use of vestrum here 
implies that the poet wishes them to return not only in safety, but as 
friends. For this the votive sacrifice is to be offered, and the promised en- 
tertainment given. 



Epistle 4. Horace enquires of the poet Tibullus whether he is occu- 
pied, at his villa, with writing verses, or roams about in its vicinity and 
muses on the best way of spending existence. After passing some enco- 
miums on the mental and personal accomplishments of his friend, our poet 
invites him to his 



1 — 3. 1 . Noslrorum sermonum. " Of our satires." It needs hardly to 
be remarked, that the term sermo, as applied to the satirical productions 
of Horace, has reference to their unambitious and almost prosaic style. 
Compare Satire, 1. 1. 42. — 2. In regione Pedana. " In the country about 
Pedum." Pedum was a town of Latium, often named in the early wars 
of Rome, and which must be placed in the vicinity of Praeneste. Tibullus 
possessed a villa in the regio Pedana, which was all that remained of his 
property, the rest having been confiscated in the proscriptions of 711 and 
712. — Cassi Parmensis. "Cassius of Parma," here mentioned, appears 
to have been a distinct person from the Etrurian Cassius, spoken of in 
Sat. 1. 10. 61. He is described by one of the scholiasts, as having tried 
his strength in various kinds of poetry, and to have succeeded best in ele- 
giac and epigrammatic writing. 

4 — 10. 4. An taciturn silvas inter, &c. " Or that thou art sauntering 
silently amid the healthful woods." — 5. Quidquid dignum sapiente bono- 
que est. The subject of meditation here indicated is, the best means r> 
attaining to happiness, and enjoying, in a proper manner, the favours ol 
the gods. — 6. Non tu corpus eras sine pectore. " Thou wast not a mere 
body without a mind." The reference is to the hour of his birth, and 
the passage may therefore be paraphrased as follows : " Nature did not 
form thee a mere body," &c. — 7. Artemque fruendi. " And the true art 
of enjoying them." — 8. Voveat. In the sense of optet. — Nulricula. — 
" An affectionate nurse." — Alumno, qui sapere etfari possit, &c. The 
connecting link in the chain of construction is as follows : Alumno, tali 
qualis tu es, Qm, &c. — 9. Fari qua sentiat. " To express his thoughts" 
with propriety and elegance. The allusion is to ability in public speak- 
ing. — 10. Gratia. " Influence." We have no single term in our lan- 
guage capable of expressing the full force of gratia as here employed. 
It is used, in the present instance, in what grammarians term both a 
passive and an active sense, denoting as well the favour of the powerful 
towards Tibullus, as that peculiar deportment on his own part, by which 
he had conciliated the esteem and confidence of others. 

12 — 16. 12. Inter spem curamque, &c. The advice here given is that 
by which Horace regulated his own course of conduct. An Epicurean, 
observes Sanadon, who considers every day as his last, will enjoy the 
pleasure that day brings. He bounds all his hopes, fears, cares and 
projects in this little compass, without, disquieting himself about what 
may happen on the morrow, which neither depends upon him nor 
upon it Such is the doctrine to which Horace attributes his own joyous 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE V. 543 

plight of body, his good humour, and easy carelessness of life. — 15. 
Pinguem et nitidum bene curata cute. " Fat and sleek with good keep- 
ing." — 16. Epicuri de grsge porcum. This serves to keep up and render 
more definite the allusion contained in the preceding lines. The Epicu- 
reans, in consequence of the corrupt and degenerate maxims of some 
of their number relative to pleasure, were stigmatised, in the popular 
language of the day, as mere sensualists, though many of them were 
most undeserving of this obloquy. Horace, therefore, playfully applies 
to himself one of the well-known phrases that were wont to be used by 
their enemies, as a sweeping denunciation of all the followers of Epi- 
curus. 



Epistle 5. The poet invites Torquatus to come and sup with him 
on the morrow, the festival of Julius Ctesar's nativity. He promises 
him a homely entertainment, but a welcome reception, and that what is 
wanting in magnificence shall be made up in neatness and cleanliness. 
We have in this epistle some strokes of morality, for which Torquatus 
might possibly have occasion. They are enlivened by a panegyric on 
wine, short, but spirited, as if it were a declaration of the good humour 
with which he proposed to receive his guest. 

1 — 4. 1. Si potes Archiacis conviva, &c. " If thou canst prevail on 
thyself to recline as a guest upon short couches madebyArchias." The 
short couches made by Archias, a mechanic of the day, were plain and 
common ones, used only by persons in moderate circumstances. — 2. JVec 
modica coenare times, &c. "And art not afraid to sup on all kind of 
herbs from a dish of moderate size." — 3. Supremo sole. " Toward sun- 
set." — Tor quote. The individual here addressed is supposed to be the 
same with the Torquatus to whom the seventh ode of the fourth book 
is inscribed. — Manebo. " I shall expect thee." — 4. Iterum Tauro. Un- 
derstand consule. The second consulship of T. Statilius Taurus was A. 
U. C. 727, whence Bentley, reckoning to the time when this epistle is 
supposed to have been written, makes the wine in question between six 
and seven years of age. — Diffusa. "Made." The term properly alludes 
to the pouring of the wine into the vessels intended to receive it, when 
the fermentation in the vat had ceased. — Palustres inter Minturnas, &c. 
" Between marshy Minturnae and Petrinum in the territory of Sinuessa." 

6 — 11. 6. Melius. "Better than what I have mentioned." Refer- 
ring not only to the wine, but also to the vegetables of which the poet 
has sjpoken. — Arcesse, vel imperium fer. " Order it to be brought hither, 
or else obey the commands that I impose," i. e. or else submit to me. 
Jlrcesse, according to the best commentators, is equivalent here to "a/- 
iferrijube." — Imperiumfer. Comparethe explanation of Gesner : " Pa- 
tere tibi a me imperari, tanquam domino convwii." — 7. Tibi. " In honour 
of thee." — 8. Leves spes. " Thy vain hopes." The reference here is 
unknown. Some suppose that Torquatus entertained at this time the 
hope of arriving at some public office. — Certamina divitiarum. An ele- 
gant expression, to denote the striving to be richer than others. — 9. Et 
Moschi causam. The scholiast informs us, that Moschus was a rhetori- 
cian ofPergamus, whose defence Torquatus and Asinius Pollio under- 
took when he was accused of poisoning. — Cras nato Caesare festus, &c. 
The festival here alluded to was the nativity of Julius Caesar. — 10. Dot 
veniam somnumque. "Allows of indulgence and repose." With veniam 
supply otiandi, or else bibendi. The term somnum refers to the mid-day 
49 



'544 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE V. 

slumber, or siesta, which will be continued longer than usual on account 
of the nature of the day, and will enable them consequently to give more 
of the night to the pleasures of thebanquet. — 11. Tendere. To lengthen 
out." 

12 — 20. 12. Qmo mihi, fortuna si non conceditur uti ? The order of 
construction is as follows : Si non conceditur uti fortuna, quo mihi ilia pro- 
dest? The term fortuna is here equivalent to laetandi occasione, and the 
passage may be rendered as follows : "If it is not permitted me to enjoy 
an opportunity for festive indulgence, of what ad vantage is it to me when 
it comes?" — 13. Parous ob heredis curam, &c " He that lives sparingly, 
and pinches himself too much out of regard to his heir, is next-door- 
neighbour to a madman." Literally, " sits by the side of the mad- 
man." The use of assidet is here extremely elegant. Compare the op- 
posite expression, " Dissidere ab insane" — 15. Patiarqueiel incousidtus 
haberi. "And I will be content to be regarded even as inconsiderate 
and foolish." "We have no single epithet that appears to convey the full 
force of inconsidtus in this passage. — 16. (luid non cbrietas designut. 
" What does not wine effect ?" or, more freely, " to what lengths does 
not wine proceed?"— 18. Addocet artes. Many of the commentators 
strangely err, in making this expression mean that wine has power to 
teach the arts ! The poet intends merely to convey the idea, that wine 
warms and animates the breast for the accomplishment of its plans. 
Hence the clause may be rendered : " teaches new means for the ac- 
complishment of what we desire." The force of the proposition in ad- 
docet must be carefully marked. — 19. Fecundi calices quern nonfecere di- 
sertum? "Whom have not the soul-inspiring cups made eloquent?" 
The epithet fecundi, as here employed, is made by some to signify, 
"full," or " overflowing," but with much less propriety. Itis precisely 
equivalent to animum fecundum reddentes. — 20. Solutum. Understand 



21 — 31. 21. Haze ego procurare et idoneus imperor, &c. "I, who am 
both the proper person, and not unwilling, am charged to take care of the 
following particulars," i. e. the task that best suits me, and which I wil- 
lingly undertake, is as follows: — 22. Ne lurpe toral. "That no dirty 
covering on the couch." — Ne sordida mappa. "No foul napkin." — 23. 
Corruget nares. "May wrinkle the nose," i. e. may give offence to any 
of the guests. According to Gluintilian, Horace was the first that used 
the verb corrugo. — Ne non et cantharus etlanx, &c. "That both the bowl 
and the dish may show thee to thyself," i. e. may be so bright and clean, 
that thou mayest see thyself in them. As regards the cantharus, consult 
note on Ode 1. 20. 2. — 25. Eliminet. Elegantly used for evulget. — Ut 
coeat par jungaturque pari. "That equal may meet and be joined with 
equal." Par is here taken in a very extensive sense, and denotes not only 
equality of age, but also congeniality of feeling and sentiment. — 26. 
Butram. Septiciumque. The names of two of the guests. — 27. Ccena prior. 
"A prior engagement." — 28. Umbris. "Attendant friends." — 29. Sed 
nimis arcta premunt olidce, &c. "But a strong scent renders too crowded 
an entertainment disagreeable." An allusion to the strong scent from 
the arm-pits. — Premunt. Equivalent to molestia afficiunt. — 30. Tu quotus 
esse velis rescribe. "Do thou write me back word, of what number thou 
mayest wish to be one," i. e. how large a party thou mayest wish to 
meet. — 31. Atria servantem. "Who keeps guard in thy hall," i.e. who 
watches for thee there, either to prefer some suit, or else to show his re- 
spect by becoming one of thy retinue. — Postico. Understand ostio. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE VI. 545 

Epistle 6. The poet, with philosophical gravity, teaches his friend 
Numicius, that human happiness springs from the mind when the latter is 
accustomed to view every thing with a cool and dispassionate eye, and, 
.neither in prosperity nor adversity, wonders at any thing, but goes on 
undisturbed in the acquisition of wisdom and virtue. 

1 — 5. 1. JV*W admirari. " To wonder at nothing," i. e. to be astonished 
at nothing that we see around us, or that occurs to us in the path of our 
existence, to look on everything with a cool and undisturbed eye, to judge 
of every thing dispassionately, to value or estimate nothing above itself. 
Hence results the general idea of the phrase to covet nothing immode- 
rately, to be too intent on nothing, and, on the other hand, to think no- 
thing more alarming or adverse than it really is. — Numici. The gens 
Numicia at Rome was one of the ancient houses. The individual here 
addressed, however, is not known. He would seem to have been some 
person that was too intent on the acquisition of riches, and the attaining 
to public office. — 3. Et decedentia certis tempora momentis. "And the 
seasons retiring at fixed periods." — 5. Imbuti. "Agitated." The idea 
intended to be conveyed by this clause is well expressed by Gesner : 
" Sapientis est, non metuere sibi quidquam ab eclipsi solis, a Salurni et Mor- 
tis conjunctione et similibus, quiz genelhliaca superstitio timet." Thus, the 
wise man contemplates the heavens, and the bodies that move in them, 
as well as the several changes of the seasons, without any feeling of asto- 
nishment or alarm, for he knows them to be governed by regular and 
stated laws, under the direction of a wise and benevolent providence. 

6 — 14. 6. Maris. Understand munera. The reference is to the 
pearls, &c. of the East. — 7. Ludicra. " The public shows." — Amid 
dona Quirilis. An allusion to the offices conferred by the people on the 
candidates to whom they are well disposed. — 8. Quo sensu et ore ? "With 
what sentiments and look ?" — 9. Fere miratur eodem quo cupiens pacio. 
" Rates them by the same high standard almost as he who actually de- 
sires them." Horace, after speaking of those who set a high value on 
riches, public shows, popular applause, and elevation to office, turns his 
discourse upon men of a less declared ambition, who do not so much 
desire these things, as fear their contraries, poverty, solitude, disgrace. 
He states that both proceed on the same wrong principle, and that both 
rate things too highly, the former directly, the latter indirectly ; for he 
who dreads poverty, solitude, and disgrace, thinks as highly, in fact, of 
their opposites, although he does not positively seek after them, as he 
who makes them the objects of his pursuit. — 10. Pavor. "An unpleasant 
disturbance of mind."— 11. Improvisa simul species, &c. The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is, that the moment any thing unexpectedly ad- 
verse happens, both are equally alarmed ; the one lest he may lose what 
he is seeking for, the other lest he may fall into what he is anxious to 
avoid. Neither of them gazes with calmness on misfortune. — 12. Quid 
ad rem. " What matters it." — 14. Torpet. " He stupidly gazes." 

16 — 23. 16. Ultra quam satis est. " Beyond proper bounds." To 
show that there is no exception to the rule which he has laid down, and 
that the feeling which produces fear or desire, is equally vicious and hurt- 
ful, the poet observes, that were even virtue its object, it would not cease 
to be blameable, if it raises too violent desires even after virtue itself. 
For virtue can never consist in excess of any kind. — 17. 1 nunc, argen- 
tum et marmor vetus, &c. Ironical. The connection in the train of ideas 
appears to be as follows : If we ought to fix our minds too intently upon 



646 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE VI. 

nothing, and if even virtue itself forms no exception to this rule, but 
may become blameable, like other things, when carried to excess, how 
little should our attention be turned to the acquisition of riches, of popu- 
lar favour, and of other objects equally fleeting and transitory. Go, 
now, and seek these riches, strive to become conspicuous before the 
eyes of all for the splendours of affluence, present thyself as a candidate 
for public honours, and fix upon thee the gaze of admiring thousands, 
while thou art haranguing them from the r.ostra ; and when all this is 
done, and the object of thy wishes is attained, then sink into the grave, 
that leveller of all distinctions, and be forgotten. — Jirgentum. " Vases 
of silver." Understand factum. — M armor vetus. "Ancient statues." 
— JEra. "Bronze vessels." — Artes. "Works of art." — 18. Suspice. 
Compare the scholiast : " Cum admiratione adspice." — 19. Loquentem. 
" While haranguing in public." — 20. Gnavus mane forum, &c. The al- 
lusion here is either to the pleading of causes, and the gain as well as 
popularity resulting therefrom, or else, and what appears more probable, 
to the money-matters transacted in the forum, the laying out money at 
interest, the collecting it in, &c. — 21. Dotalibus. " Gained by marriage," 
i. e. forming a part or the whole of a wife's dowry. — 22. Mutus. Some 
individual is here meant, of ignoble birth, but enriched by marriage. — 
— Indignum, quod sit perjoribus ortus. " What would be shameful indeed, 
since he is sprung from meaner parents." — Mirabilis. Equivalent to in- 
videndus. 

24 — 27. 24. Quidquid sub terra est, &c. We have here the apodosis 
of the sentence which began at the 17th verse. It is continued on to 
the end of the 27th verse. The idea intended to be conveyed is, that as 
whatever is concealed in the bosom of the earth, will one day or other 
see the light, so whatever now shines above the surface of the ground 
will one day or other descend into it. Though thou art now conspicuous 
for wealth and public honours, yet sooner or later shalt thou go to that 
abiding-place, whither Numa and Ancus have gone before. — 25. Quum. 
Equivalent to quamvis. — Bene notum. Compare the explanation of Do- 
ring : *' Et honoribus et magnificentia nobilem." — 26. Porticus Agrippce 
The portico here alluded to was in the vicinity of the Pantheon, another 
of the splendid works for which the capital was indebted to the public 
spirit and magnificence of Agrippa. In this the upper classes and the 
rich were accustomed to take exercise by walking. — Via Appi. The 
Appian way was another general place of resort for the wealthy and the 
great, especially in their chariots. Compare Epode 4. 14. — 27. Numa. 
quo devenit et Ancus. Compare Ode 4. 7. 15. seqq. 

28 — 38. 28. Si lalus aut renes, &c. The train of ideas is as follows : 
If thou art labouring under any acute disease, drive it offby using proper 
remedies; if thou art desirous of living happily, come, despise the allure- 
ments of pleasure, and follow the footsteps of virtue, for she alone can 
teach thee the true course which thou art to pursue. If, however, thou 
art of opinion, that virtue consists merely in words, not in actual practice, 
as a grove appears to thee to be merely a parcel of trees, and to derive no 
part of its venerable character from the worship of the gods celebrated 
within its precints ; well then, prefer riches to virtue, use all thy speed in 
their acquisition, see that no one enter the harbour before thee, take care 
that no loss be incurred, let the round sum of a thousand talents be made 
up, and others at the back of that. In fine, take from sovereign money 
whatever she bestows, and shine with these before the eyes of men. — 
Tentantur. "Are attacked." — 29. Fugam morbi. " Some remedy that 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE VI. 547 

may put the disorder to flight." — 30. Forlis omissis hoc age deUciis. " Do 
thou, abandoning pleasures, attend strenuously to this," i. e. the pursuit of 
virtue. — 32. Cave ne portus occupet alter. " Take care that no one gain 
the harbour before thee." — 33. Ne Cibyratica, ne Bithyna negotia psrdas. 
"That thou lose not the profits of thy trade with Cibyra, with Bithynia," 
i. e. by the cargoes being brought too late into the harbour, and after the 
favourable moment for realising a profit on them has gone by.— Cibyratica, 
Cibyra was a flourishing commercial city, in the south-west angle of 
Phrygia, between JLycia and Caria. — Bithyna. As regards the commerce 
carried on between Bithynia and Italy, consult note on Ode, 1. 35. 7. — 

34. Mille talenta rotundentur. " Let the round sum of a thousand talents 
be made up." — Altera. Understand mille talenta, for a literal translation. — ■ 

35. Et quce pars quadret acervum. "And the part that may render the 
heap fourfold," i. e. may complete the sum of four thousand talents. — 36. 
Scilicet. "For." — Fidem. "Credit." — 37. Re gina Pecunia. "Sovereign 
Money." — 38. Ac bene nummatum decorat, &c. "And Persuasion and 
Venus adorn the well-moneyed man," i. e. the rich man easily finds flat- 
terers, to style him an eloquent and persuasive speaker, a pleasing and 
agreeable companion, &c. 

39 — 46. 39. Mancipiis locuples eget aris, &c. The connection in the 
train of ideas is as follows : Heap up riches ; not such, however, as the 
king of the Cappadocians has, who possesses many slaves indeed, but 
is poor in money ; but such as Lucullus is said to have had, who was so 
wealthy that he knew not the extent of his riches. For, being asked on 
one occasion, &c. — Cappadocum rex. The greater part of the Cappado- 
cians were, from the despotic nature of their government, actual slaves, 
and the nation would seem to have been so completely wedded to ser- 
vitude, that when the Romans offered them their liberty, they refused, 
and chose Ariobarzanes for their king. On the other hand, money was 
so scarce that they paid their tribute in mules and horses. — 40. Nefueris 
hie tu. " Be not thou like him," i. e. do not want money as he does, but 
get plenty of it ! The final syllable of fueris is lengthened by the arsis. 
— Chlamydes. The chlamys was a military cloak, generally of a purple 
colour.— Lucullus. The famous Roman commander against Mithridates 
and Tigranes. The story here told is no doubt a little exaggerated, yet 
it is well known that Lucullus lived with a magnificence almost surpass- 
ing belief. His immense riches were acquired in his Eastern campaigns. 
— 44. Tolleret. Referring to the person who made the request, either 
the individual that had charge of the scenic arrangements for the occa- 
sion, or else one of the aediles. — 45. Exilis domus est. " That house is 
but poorly furnished." — 46. Fallunt. " Escape the notice of." — Ergo si 
res sola potest facer e, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is as follows : 
If then thou thinkest virtue a mere name, and if riches alone (res sola) 
can make and keep a man happy, make the acquisition of them thy first 
and last work. 

49 — 50. 49. Si fortunatum species et gratia prcestat, " If splendour 
and popularity make a man fortunate." Species has here a general re- 
ference to external splendour, external dignity, &c.-^-50. Mercemur Ser- 
vian, qui dictet nomina, &c. " Come, let us purchase a slave to tell us 
the names of the citizens, to jog us every now and then on the left side, 
and make us stretch out our hand over all intervening obstacles." What 
pondera actually refers to here, remains a matter of mere conjecture. — 
The general allusion in this passage is to the office of nomenclatm: The 
Romans', when they stood candidate for any office, and wanted to in- 



548 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE VI. 

gratiate themselves with the people, went always accompanied by a 
slave, whose sole business it was to learn the names and conditions of 
the citizens, and secretly inform his master, that the latter might know 
how to salute them by their proper names. 

52 — 55. 52. Hie multum in Fabia valet, &c. The slave now whispers 
into his master's ear: " This man has great influence in the Fabian tribe, 
that one in the Veline." With Fabia and Velina respectively understand 
tribu. — 53. Cui libet is fasces dabit, &c. The allusion is now to a third 
person. By the term fasces is meant either the consulship or preetorship. 
— Curule ebw: " The curule chair." The allusion appears, from what 
precedes, to be to the asdileship, or office of curule asdile, although the 
sella curulis was common, in fact, to all the higher magistrates. — 54. Im- 
forlunus. " Indefatigable in his efforts." — Frater, Pater, adde. " Add the 
titles of Brother, Father." Frater and Pater are here taken, as the gram- 
marians term it, materially. They stand for accusatives, but being sup- 
posed to be quoted, as it were, from the speech of another, where they are 
used as vocatives, they remain unaltered in form. — 55. Ut cuique est cctas, 
&c. The direction here given is as follows : If the individual addressed 
be one of thy own age, or somewhat under, address him, in a familiar and 
friendly way, with the title of ' Brother :' if, however, he be an older man 
than thyself, approach him respectfully, and salute him with the name of 
' Father.' — Facetus. " Courteously." — Mopta. " Adopt him," i. e. adopt 
him into thy family by this salutation, address him as a relation. 

56 — 67. 56. Lucet. " 'Tis light," i. e. the day is now breaking. — 57. 
Gida. " Our appetite." The idea intended to be conveyed by the whole 
clause is as follows : As soon as the day breaks, let us attend to the calls 
of appetite. — Piscemur ; venemur. Instead of merely saying, let us pro- 
cure the materials for the banquet, the poet employs the common expres- 
sions in the text, " let us go a fishing, let us go a hunting," that he may 
bring in with more effect the mention of Gargilius. — 58. Gargilius. Who 
the individual here alluded to was, is unknown. The picture, however, 
which Ihe poet draws of him is a pleasing one, and might very easily be 
made to apply to more modern times. — 60. Unus ut e multis, &c. "To 
the intent that one mule out of many might bring back, in the sight of the 
same populace, a boar purchased with money. — 61. Crudi tumidique la- 
vemur. " Let us bathe with our food undigested, and a full-swoln sto- 
mach." Bathing so soon after a meal was decidedly injurious, but the 
epicures of the day resorted to this expedient, that they might hasten the 
natural digestion, and prepare themselves for another entertainment. — 62. 
Ccerite cera digni. "Deserving of being enrolled among the C'Dsrites." 
The term cera has reference to the Roman mode of writing on tablets 
covered with wax, and hence the expression in the text, when more lite- 
rally nendered, will mean, being enrolled in the same registers, or on the 
same tablets, that contain the names of the Cserites. According to the 
common account, the Caerites, or inhabitants of Caere, having received 
the Vestal virgins and tutelary gods of Rome, when it was sacked by the 
Gauls, the Romans, out of gratitude, gave them the privileges of citizens, 
with the exception of the right of suffrage. What was to them, how- 
ever, an honour, would prove to a Roman citizen an actual degradation ; 
and therefore when any one of the latter was guilty of any disgraceful or 
infamous conduct, and lost in consequence his right of suffrage, by the 
decree of the censors, he was said to be enrolled among the Cserites, (m 
tabulas Caritum referri.) — 63. Remigium vitiosum Ithacensis Ulixei. Sup- 
ply sicutl— 64. Inter dicta voluptas. " Forbidden pleasure." Ulysses had 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE VII. 549 

warned his companions not to touch the cups of Circe if they wished to 
revisit their country. The advice proved fruitless. — 65. Mimnermus. A 
poet of Colophon in Ionia, who flourished about 590 B. C. He composed 
elegiac strains, and is regarded as the first that applied the alternating 
hexameter and pentameter measures to such subjects. — 67. Istis. Re- 
ferring to the maxims which the poet has here laid down respecting the 
felicity that virtue alone can bestow. 



Epistle 7. Horace, upon retiring into the country, had given his 
promise to Maecenas that he would return in five days : but, after con- 
tinuing there the whole month of August, he writes this epistle to ex- 
cuse his absence. He tells him, that the care of his health had obliged 
him to remain in the country during the dog-days ; and that, when win- 
ter comes on, the same care would render it necessary for him to go to 
Tarentum, but that he intended to be with him early in the spring. As 
Horace, however, was under the strongest ties to Maecenas, and did not 
wish to be thought unmindful of what he owed him, he takes pains to 
show, that the present refusal did not proceed from want of gratitude, 
but from that sense of liberty which all mankind ought to have, and 
which no favour, however great, could countervail. He acknowledges 
his patron's liberality, and the agreeable manner he had of evincing it. 
He acknowledges, too, that he had been a close attendant upon him in 
his younger years, but assures him, at the same time, that if he was less 
assiduous now, it did not proceed from want of affection and friendship, 
but from those infirmities of age, which, as they were sensibly growing 
upon him, rendered it inconsistent with the care which his health de- 
manded of him. 

2 — 9. 2. Sextilem Mum inendax desideror. "False to my word, I am 
expected by thee during the whole month of August." The Romans, 
at first, began their year at March, whence the sixth month was called 
Sextilis, even after January and February were added by Numa to the 
calendar of Romulus. It afterwards took the name of Augustus, men- 
sis Augustus, as the month before it was called mensis Julius from Julius 
Caesar. — Mqui. "And yet." — 3. Recteque videre valentem. "And to 
see me enjoying sound health." — 5. Veniam. "The indulgence." The 
poet alludes to the liberty of remaining in his villa, apart from his pa- 
tron's presence. — Bum ficus prima, &c. An elegant and brief descrip- 
tion of the season of autumn, when the fig first reaches its maturity, and 
the heat of the sun proves injurious to the human frame. The dog- 
days, and in general all the autumnal season, were sickly at Rome. 
At this time the poet chose to retire to his Sabine farm, and breathe the 
pure mountain-atmosphere. — 6. Designatorem decorat lictoribus atris. 
" Adorn the undertaker with all his gloomy train." By the designator 
is here meant the individual, whose business it was to regulate the or- 
der of funerals, and assign to every person his rank and place. He was 
one of the principal officers of the goddess Libitina, and resembled, in 
his general duties, the modern undertakers. When called to take 
charge of a funeral solemnity, the designator usually came attended by a 
troop of inferior officers, called by Seneca libitinarii, such as the pollinc" 
tores, vespUlones, ustores, sandapilarii, &c. These attendants were all ar- 
rayed in black, and, beside their other duties, served to keep off the 
crowd like the lictors of the magistrates, with whom they are compared 
by the language of the text — 7. Matercula. "Tender mother." — 8. 



55U EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE VII. 

Officiosa sedulilas. "An assiduous attendance on the great." — Opella 
forensis. " The petty operations of the bar." — 9. Testamenta resignat. 
The autumnal season, when the greatest mortality prevailed, is here 
said, by the agency of assiduous attention on the great, and by the dis- 
tracting business of the bar, to open wills, i. e. to kill ; wills never being 
opened until the death of the testator. 

10—13. 10. Quqdsi. Referring here to time. " "Wnen, however." 
— Mbanis. Equivalent to Latinis. — 11. Admare. Lambinus thinks the 
reference is here to the sinus Tarentinus, an opinion which derives sup- 
port from verse 45, and also from Ode 2. 6. 10. — Sibi parcet. " Be care- 
ful of himself," i. e. will guard himself against whatever might prove in- 
jurious to health. — 12. Contractusque leget. " And will amuse himself 
with reading in some snug little apartment." With contractus supply in 
locum angustum. There are other explanations, however, of this clause. 
— 13. Hirundine prima. " With the first swallow," i. e. in the very be- 
ginning of the spring. Swallows denote the spring, and to come back 
with the first swallow was to return vere primo. 

14 — 28. 14. Non, quo more phis vesci, &c. The idea intended to be 
conveyed is this: Thou hast not gifted me with what thou thyself de- 
spised, as the Calabrian rustic gave away his pears, or as a foolish prodi- 
gal squanders upon others what he regards as contemptible and valueless, 
but thou hast bestowed such things upon thy poet, as a good and wise 
man is always prepared to give to those whom he deems worthy of them. 
— 16. Benigne. " I thank thee kindly." Bene and benigne were terms 
of politeness among the Romans, as raXCs and inaiviS among the Greeks, 
when they refused any thing offered to them. — 21. Haec seges ingratos 
tulit, &c. " This soil has produced, and ever will produce, ungrateful 
men," i. e. this liberality has had, and in all ages will have, ingratitude 
for its certain crop. A foolisfi and unmeaning prodigality deserves no 
better return ; for acknowledgment ought always to be in proportion to 
the benefit received, and what is given in this manner is not worthy the 
name of a benefit. — 22. Vir bonus et sapiens dignis ait esse paratus. " A 
good and wise man says that he is ready for the deserving," i. e. profes- 
ses himself ready to confer favours on those who deserve them. The 
allusion in vir bonus et sapiens is to Maecenas. We have here an elegant 
imitation, in paratus, of the Greek construction, by which a nominative is 
joined with the infinitive whenever the reference is to the same person. 
Thus the expression in the text, if converted into Greek, would be, b ko- 
Xos KayaObs to~l$ a&ois (pvoh rfvai 7rp<sfojjKoy. The common Latin structure 
requires se paratum esse. — 23. JVec tamen ignorat, quid distant aera lupinis. 
" And yet is not ignorant how true money differs from lupines." The 
players upon the stage were accustomed to make use of lupines instead 
of real coin, (compare Muretus, ad Plaut. Poen. 3. 2. 20.), and so also 
boys at their games. Hence, when the poet states, that the good and 
wise man can distinguish well between true coin and that which players 
use upon the stage, or boys at their games, he means to convey the idea, 
that such a man knows what he gives, that he can tell whether it be of 
value or otherwise, whether it be'suitable or unsuitable to him on whom 
it is conferred. — 24. Bignum prcestabo me etiarn pro laude merentis. "I, 
too, as the praise of my benefactor demands, will show myself worthy 
of the gifts that I have "received," i. e. I will show myself worthy of what 
my generous patron has bestowed upon me, that he may enjoy the praise 
of having conferred his favours on a deserving object. — 25. Usquam dis- 
cedere. "To go any where from thee," i. e. to leave thy society and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE VII. 551 

Rome. — 26. Forte latus. "My former vigour." Latus and latera are fre- 
quently used in the Latin writers to indicate strength of body, as both 
corporeal vigour and decay show themselves most clearly in that part of 
the human frame. — 26. Nigros angusta front e capillos. "The black locks 
that once shaded my narrow forehead." As regards the estimation in 
which low foreheads were held among the Greeks and Romans as a mark 
of beauty, consult note on Ode 1. 33. 5. In the present case the refe- 
rence would seem to be to the hair's being worn so low down as almost 
to cover the forehead. — 27. Dulce loqui. "My former powers of pleasing 
converse." — Ridere decorum. "The becoming laugh that once was 
mine." — 28. Fugam Cinaraz protervaz. Horace, elsewhere, (Ode 4. 1.3.), 
tells us that he was a young man when he surrendered his heart to the 
charms of Cinara. 

29 — 34. 29. Forte per angustam, &c. The construction in the train 
of ideas is as follows : I am not one, Maecenas, that wishes merely to 
feed and fatten in thy abode ; I have not crept into thy dwelling as the 
field-mouse did into the basket of corn : for if* I am indeed like the field- 
mouse in the fable, and if my only object in coming nigh thee, has had 
reference to self, then am I willing to surrender all the favours that thy 
kindness has bestowed upon me. — 29. Tenuis niledula. " A lean field- 
mouse." — 30. Cumeramfrumenti. "A basket of corn." — 31. Pleno cor- 
pore. " Being grown fat." — 34. Hac ego si compellor imagine, &c. " If 
I be addressed by this similitude, I am ready to resign all that thy fa- 
vour has bestowed," i. e. if this fable of the field-mouse be applicable to 
me, if I have crept into thy friendship merely to enjoy thy munificent 
kindness and benefit myself, &c. — Resigno. Consult note on Ode 3. 
29. 54. 

35 — 37. 35. Nee somnum plebis laudo, &c. " Neither do I, sated with 
delicacies, applaud the slumbers of the poor, nor am I willing to exchange 
my present repose, and the perfect freedom that accompanies it, for all 
the riches of the Arabians." The poet means to convey the idea, that 
he is not one of those who first surfeit themselves, and then extol the fru- 
gal tables and the easy slumbers of the poor, but that he has always 
loved a life of repose and freedom, and will always prefer such an one 
to the splendours of the highest affluence. Hence the same idea is in- 
volved in this sentence, as in the passages which immediately precede, 
namely, that the poet has never sought the friendship of his patron mere- 
ly for the sake of indulging in a life of luxury. — Jltiilium. The epithet 
allUis, in its general import, denotes any thing fattened for human food ; 
when taken in a special sense, however, as in the present instance, it re- 
fers to birds, particularly those of the rarer kind, reared for this purpose 
in an aviary. — 37. Saepe verecundum laudasti ; Rexque Paterque, &c. 
" Thou hast often commanded my moderation ; when present thou hast 
heard thyself saluted by me as King, and Father ; nor have I been more 
sparing in thy praise, when thou wert absent, by a single word." For a 
literal translation, understand audisti with nee verbo parcius absens, and, 
as regards the peculiar meaning in which the verb is here employed 
("thou hast heard thyself called," i. e. thou hast been called or salu- 
ted,) consult note on Sat. 2. 7. 101. and 2. 6. 20. Horace is not afraid 
to call Maecenas himself as a witness of his disinterestedness and grati- 
tude. Thou hast often, says he, commended me for a moderation, which 
could alone set bounds to thy liberality. Thou knowest that I ever 
spoke of thee in the language of tenderness and respect, as my friend 
aiui benefactor. — Verecundum. It will be perceived from the foregoing 



552 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE VII. 

note, that we have, with Lambinus, referred this term to the moderation 
of the poet, amid the favours of his patron. Most commentators, how- 
ever, make it allude merely to his modesty of deportment.— Rexque Pa- 
terque. The first of these appellations refers to the liberality, the second 
to the kind and friendly feelings, of Maecenas toward the bard. 

39 — 45. 39. Inspice si possum donata reponere Icetus. "See whether 
I ean cheerfully restore what thou hast given me." The connection in 
the train of ideas is as follows : I said just now, that if the fable of the 
field-mouse were applicable to my own case, I was perfectly willing to 
resign all the favours which thy kindness had conferred upon me. Try 
me then, my patron, and see whether I am sincere in what I have said. 
— 40. Haud male Telemachus, &c. "Well did Telemachus answer, the 
offspring of the patient Ulysses." This answer of Telemachus is taken 
from the 4th book of the Odyssey, and was made to Menelaus, who urged 
him to accept a present of horses. The application is obvious : Tibur, 
or Tarentum, was our poet's Ithaca, where Maecenas's gifts could be of 
no more use to him than the present of Menelaus to Telemachus. — 41. 
Non est aphis Ithace locus, &c. Horace has here expressed Horn. Od. 4. 
601. seqq. — Ut neque plants porrectus spatiis, &c. "As it is neither ex- 
tended in plains nor abounds with much grass." — 45. Vacuum Tibur. 
" The calm retreat of Tibur." The epithet vacuum is here equivalent 
in some respect to oliosum, and designates Tibur as a place of calm re- 
treat for the poet, and of literary leisure. — Imbelle Tarentum. " The 
peaceful Tarentum." 

46 — 48. 46. Strenuus etfortis. " Active and brave." The ahusion 
in the text is to Lucius Marcius Philippus, of whom Cicero makes fre- 
quent mention. He was equally distinguished for eloquence and cour- 
age, which raised him to the censorship and consulship. The little tale 
here introduced, is the longest, but not the least agreeable, of the three 
with which Horace has enlivened his letter. It is told with that natural 
ease and vivacity, which can only make these kind of stories pleasing. 
The object of the poet is to show how foolishly those persons act, who 
abandon a situation in life which suits them, and to which they have 
been long accustomed, for one of a higher character and altogether fo- 
reign to their habits. — 47. Jib officiis. "From the duties of his profes- 
sion." — Octavam circiter horam. " About the eighth hour," i. e. about 
two o'clock. The first hour of the day, among the Romans, commenced 
at six o'clock. The courts opened at nine o'clock. — 48. Carinas. By 
" the Carinse" is meant a quarter of the city, so called, as Nardini not 
improbably supposes, from its being placed in a hollow between the Cce- 
lian, Esquiline, and Palatine hills. The greater part of it was situate 
in the fourth region. From the epithet of lattice, which Virgil applies to 
it, we may infer, that the houses which stood in this quarter of ancient 
Rome were distinguished by an air of superior elegance and grandeur. 
From the same passage of Virgil it appears that the Carinse did not 
stand very far from the Forum. To Philip, however, who was now ad- 
vanced in years, the distance appeared too great. 

50 — 58. 50. Adrasum. "Close shaved." — Vacua tonsoris in umbra. 
"In a barber's shop, that resort of idlers." Vacua is here equivalent to 
otiosa. With regard to the term umbra, it may be remarked, that thouga 
rendered by the word " shop," in order to suit modern ideas, it properly 
denotes a shed or awning open to the street. — 51. Cultello proprios pur- 
gantem leniter ungues. "Paring Ms own nails with a careless air." Pro- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE VII. 553 

prios here denotes his doing for himself what was commonly done by the 
barber. — 52. <N'ou lieve jussa Philippi accipiebat. " Was very smart at 
taking Philip's commands." — 53. Qucere et refer. Philip's object in send- 
ing his slave on this errand was as follows : Returning home from the 
fatiguing avocations of the bar, and complaining of the distance to his 
own abode, which, though short in itself, the growing infirmities of age 
caused to appear long to him, Philip espies, on a sudden, a person seated 
at his ease in a barber's shop, and paring his nails with an air of the ut- 
most composure. Touched with a feeling somewhat like envy, on be- 
holding a man so much happier to all appearances than himself, he sends 
his slave to ascertain who the individual was, and to learn all about him. 
— 53. Unde domo. " Of what country." — 56. Tenui censit. "Of small 
fortune." — 58. Sine crimine natum. "Born without a stain," i. e. of re- 
spectable parents. — 57. Et properare loco et cessare, &c. "That he was 
wont, as occasion required, to ply his business with activity and take his 
ease, to gain a little and spend it." Loco is here equivalent to tempore 
opporluno. — 58. Gaulentem parvis sodalibus et tare certo, &c. "Delighting 
in a few companions of humble life, and in a house of his own, and also 
in the public shows, and, when the business of the day was over, in a 
walk through the Campus Martius." 

60—65. 60. Scitari libel ex ipso, &c. " I would know from the man 
himself all that thou reportest." — 62. Benigne. " I thank thy master 
kindly." Menas expresses his thanks for the honour of the invitation, but 
at the same time declines accepting it. — 63. Improbus. "The rascal." — 
Et te ne.gliget aut horret. "And either slights, or is afraid of, thee." 
Horrere and horror are properly meant of that awe and respect, which we 
feel when approaching any thing sacred ; and as the vulgar are apt to 
look upon great men as somewhat above the ordinary rank of mortals, 
the same words have been used to express the respect they feel when ad- 
mitted to their presence, as well as the dread they have of coming into it. 
— 64. Vulteium mane Philippvs, &c. " Next morning Philip comes upon 
Vulteius, as he was selling old second-hand trumpery to the poorer sort 
of people, and salutes him first." The verb occupare, as here employed, 
means to surprise, to come upon another before he is aware of our ap- 
proach. — 65. Tunicato popello. This expression literally refers to the 
poorer part of the citizens as clad merely in tunics, their poverty prevent- 
ing them from purchasing a toga in which to appear abroad. Foreigners 
at Rome seem also to have had the same dress, whence homo lunicatus is 
put for a Carthaginian, Plant. Pcenid. 5. 3. 2. — Scruta. By this term i3 
meant any kind of old second-hand furniture, moveables, clothes, &c. and 
they who vended them were called scrutarii. Menas was spoken of in a 
preceding line (56th) as a prceco, or cryer, and among the duties of this 
class of persons was that of attending at auctions, and calling out the 
price bidden for the articles put up. Thk would allow Menas many 
opportunities of making bargains for himself, and, when not otherwise 
employed, of becoming a scrutarius. 

66 — 72. 66. Rle Philippo excusare laborem, &c. " He began to plead 
to Philip his laborious vocation and the fetters of hire, as an excuse for 
not having waited upon him that morning ; in fine, for not having seen 
him first." The expression mercenaria vincla refers to his employment as 
prceco, and his labouring in it for regular hire. — 68. Qriodnon mane domum 
venisset. Clients and others watted upon distinguished men early in the 
morning for the purpose of paying their respects. Menas apologises for 
not having calkd upon Philip at this time, both to salute him and excuse 



554 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE VIII. 

himself for not having accepted his invitation. — 69. Sic. " On (his con- 
dition." — 70. Ut libet. A form of assenting. — 71. Post nonam. "After 
the ninth hour." Or, to adopt our own phraseology, " after three o'clock." 
— 72. Dicenda tacenda. " Whatever came into his head." Literally: 
things to be mentioned, and things about which silence should have been 
kept. The poet evidently intends this as an allusion to the effects of 
Philip's good old wine upon his new guest. 

73 — 98. 73. Hie ubi scepe occultum, &c. " He, when he had often been 
seen to repair, like a fish to the concealed hook, in the morning a client, 
and now a constant guest, is desired, on the proclaiming of the Latin holi- 
days, to accompany Philip to his country-seat near the city." — 75. Mane 
cliens. Compare note on verse 68. — 76. Indictis. Understand a consule. 
The Ferice Latince, or Latin holidays, were first appointed by Tarquin for 
one day, but after the expulsion of the kings they were continued for two, 
then for three, and at last for four days. They were kept with great so- 
lemnity on the Alban mountain. The epithet indictee, marks them as 
moveable, and appointed at the pleasure of the consul, a circumstance 
which places them in direct opposition to the Statm Fence, or fixed festi- 
vals of the Romans. Philip could go into the country during these holi- 
days, as the courts were then shut. — 79. Et sibi dum requiem, &c. "And 
while he seeks diversion for himself, while he endeavours to draw amuse- 
ment from every thing." — 80. Mutua septem promittit. "Promises to 
lend him seven thousand more." — S3. Ex nitido. "From a spruce cit" 
— Alque sulcos et vineta crepat mera. " And talks of nothing but furrows 
and vineyards." Mera is here literally, " solely," "only," being the neu- 
ter of the adjective used adverbially. — 84. Prceparat ulmos. " Prepares 
his elms," i. e. for the vines to grow around. — 85. Immoritur studiis, &c. 
"He almost kills himself with eager application to his labours, and grows 
old before his time through a desire of possessing more," i. e. of increas- 
ing his wealth. — 87. Spem mentila seges. "His narvest deceived his 
hopes." — 89. Irakis. Angry with himself for having ever left his former 
peaceful and happy life. — 90. Scabmm. " Rough." — After Menas had 
turned farmer, he ceased to be nitidus, and neglected his person. — 91. 
Durusnimis attentusque. " Too laborious and earnest." — 92. Pol. " Faith. 
— 93. Ponere. Used for imponere, i. e. dare. — 96. Qui semel aspexit, &c. 
"Let him who has once perceived how much better the things he has 
discarded are than those for which he has sought, return in time," &c. — 
98. Suo modulo ac pede. " By his own last and foot," i. e. by the mea- 
sure of his own foot, by his own proper standard. 



Epistle 8. Horace gives us in this epistle a picture of himself, as 
made up of contradictions and chagrin, miserable without any apparent 
cause, and dissatisfied he could not tell why ; in fine, a complete hypo- 
chondriac. If the poet really intended this for his own portrait, it must 
be confessed to be very unlike the joyous carelessness of his life in general. 
In almost perfect health, possessed of an easy fortune, and supported by 
a good understanding, he makes himself wretched with causeless disqui- 
etudes, and an unaccountable'waywardness of temper. May we not sup- 
pose that the Epicurean principles of Horace forbid any such application 
to himself, and that he merely assumes these infirmities, that he may with 
more politeness reproach Albinovanus, who was actually subject to 
them ? Such at least is the opinion of Torrentius and others of the com- 
mentators. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPIS TLE IS. 553 

1 — 10. I. Celso gaudere et bene rem gerere Mbinovano, k.c. The order 
of construction is as follows: Musa, rogata, refer Celso Mbinovano, comiti 
scribtzque Keronis, gaudere et gerererem bene. — Gaudere et bene rem gerere 
refer. "Bear joy and prosperity," i. e. give joy and wish success. In 
place of using the common Latin form of salutation, Salutem, Horace here 
imitates the Greek mode of expression, x a 'P £ ' l/ * a ' e$ Trpdrreiv. — 2. Comiti 
scribtzque Neronis. Celsus Albinovanus has already been mentioned as 
forming part of the retinue of Tiberius, (Epist. 1. 3. 15.) who was at that 
time occupied with the affairs of Armenia. — 3. Die, mulla et pulchra mi- 
nantem, &c. " Tell him, that, though promising many fine things, I live 
neither well nor agreeably." The distinction here made, is one, observes 
Francis, of pure Epicurean morality. Rede vivere is to live according to 
the rules of virtue ; and vivere suaviter to have no other guidance for our 
actions but pleasure and our passions. As regards the force of minantem, 
in this same passage, consult note on Sat. 2. 3. 9. — 4. Haud quia grando, 
&c. "Not because the hail has bruised my vines, or the heat blasted the 
olive," &c. i. e. my disquiet arises not from the cares of wealth. It is not 
produced by the feelings that break the repose of the rich, when their vine- 
yards have been lashed by the hail, or their olive-grounds have suffered 
from the immoderate heats, &c. — 5. Momorderit. The verb mordeo (here 
equivalent to uro) is applied by the Latin writers to denote the effects as 
well of cold as of heat. — 6. Longinquis in agris. Consult note on Epode 
1.27. — 7. Minus validus. "Less sound." The poet describes himself 
(if indeed he refers to his own case) as labouring under that peculiar mala- 
dy, which is now termed hypochondria, and which has its seat far more in 
the mind than in any part of the body. The picture that he draws admira- 
bly delineates the condition of one who is suffering under the morbid in- 
fluence of hypochondriac feelings. — 9. Fidis offendar medicis. "Because I 
am displeased with my faithful physicians." With irascar, sequar, fugiam, 
and amem respectively, quia must be supplied in translating. — 10. Cur me 
funesto properent arcere veterno. " For being eager to rouse me from this 
fatal lethargy." Cur is here equivalent to ideo, quod. 

12 — 17. 12. Ventosus. "Changeable as the wind." Compare Epist. 
1. 9. 37. " Plebs ventosa." — 13. Quopacto rem gerat et se. "How he man- 
ages his official duties, and himself," i. e. how he is coming on in his office 
of secretary, and what he is doing withhimself. — 14. Juveni. "The young 
prince." Alluding to Tiberius, who was then about twenty-two years of 
age. — Cohorti. Consult note on Epist. 1. 3. 6. — 17. Ut tufortunam, &c. 
" As thou, Celsus, bearest thy fortune, so will we bear ourselves unto thee," 
i. e. if, amid thy present good fortune, and the favour of thy prince, thou 
still continuest to remember and love thy former friend, so will he in turn 
love thee. 



Epistle 9. A letter of introduction to Tiberius Claudius Nero, given 
by the poet to his friend Titius Septimius. Horace seems to have been 
very sensible of the care and nicety that were requisite on such occasions, 
especially in addressing the Great, and he has left the epistle now before 
us as an undoubted proof of this. He stood high in favour with Tiberius, 
and the regard Augustus had for him gave him a farther privilege. More- 
over, Septimius was one of his dearest friends, a man of birth and known 
merit : yet with what modesty, diffidence, and seeming reluctance, does 
the poet recommend him to the notice of the prince. The epistle appears 
50 



556 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE X. 

to have been written a short time previous to the departure of Tiberius for 
the Eastern provinces. 

1 — 6. 1. Septimius, Claudi, nimirumintelligit unus, &c. "O Claudius, 
Septimius alone knows forsooth how highly thou esteemest me." The 
poet modestly seeks to excuse his own boldness in addressing an epistle 
like the present to the young Tiberius, on the ground that his friend Septi- 
mius would have that he stood high in favour with the prince, whereas, he 
himself knew no such thing. — 3. Scilicet ut, iibi se laudare, &c. " To un- 
dertake namely to recommend and introduce him to you." — 4. Dignum 
mente domoque, &c. " As one worthy the esteem and confidence of Nero, 
who always selects deserving objects," i. e. one whose habits of thinking 
and acting are in unison with those of the individual addressed, and who 
is worthy of being numbered among his intimate friends, and becoming a 
member of his household. This verse does equal honour both to Tiberius 
and Septimius, since it shows the one a discerning prince, and the other a 
deserving man. We are not to consider these as words of mere compli- 
ment on the part of the poet. Tiberius, in his early days, was indeed the 
person he is here represented to be, a good judge of merit, and ready to 
reward it. — 5. Muntre fungi propioris amid. " That I fill the station of an 
intimate friend." — 6. Quid possim videt, &e. " He sees and knows what 
I can effect with thee better than I do myself," i. e. he sees and knows the 
extent of my influence with thee, &c. This explains the nimirum intelligit 
unus of the first line. 

8 — 13. 8. Sed timid, meet ne, &c. "But I was afraid lest I might be 
thought to have pretended that my interest with thee was less than it 
really is ; to be a dissembler of my own strength, inclined to benefit 
myself alone." — 10. Majoris culpa. The major culpa, here alluded to, 
is the unwillingness to serve a friend. — 11. Frcntis ad urbancs descendi 
prctmia. " I have descended into the arena to contend for the rewards 
of town-bred assurance," i. e. I have resolved at last to put in for a 
share of those rewards which a little city-assurance is pretty certain of 
obtaining. The frons urbana is sportively but truly applied to that open 
and unshrinking assurance so generally found in the population of ci- 
ties. — 13. Scribe tui gregis hunc. " Enrol this person among thy reti- 
nue." Grex is here taken in a good sense to denote a society of friends 
and followers. 



Epistle 10. The poet loved to retire into the country, and indulge, 
amid rural scenes, in reading, and in wooing his muse. Fuscus, on the 
other hand, gave the preference to a city life, though in every thing else 
his views and feelings were in unison with those of his friend. In the 
present epistle, thereiore, Horace states to his old companion the grounds 
of his choice; and paints, in masterly colours, the innocent pleasures, 
the simplicity, and the calm repose of a country-life." 

1 — 10. 1. Urbis amatorem. Beautifully opposed to ruris amatores in 
the following line. — Fuscum salvere jubemus. " Bid Fuscus hail." Fus- 
cus Aristius, who is here addressed, was a distinguished grammarian 
and rhetorician of the day, a man of probity, but too much influenced 
by the desire of accumulating riches, the common vice of the times, and 
preferring therefore a city-life to the repose of the country. He is the 
same individual to whom the 22d ode of the first book is addressed.— 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLEXVIII. 577 

The poet compares the cries made by the raven when lighting on food 
to the clamours of the importunate. 

52 — 55. 52. Surrentum. A city of Campania, on the Sinus Crater, 
or bay of Naples, and not far from the Promontorium Minervae, now 
Sorrento. — Brundisium comes aut Surrentum ductus amoenum, &a» " He, 
who, when taken as a companion by his patron, either to Brundisium or 
the delightful Surrentum, complains," &c. — 55. Nota refert meretricis 
acumina, &c. " Resembles the well-known tricks of a harlot, often 
weeping for a bracelet, often for a garter forcibly taken from her ; so 
that in time no credit is given to her real losses and griefs," i. e. practises 
the known deceptions of a harlot, &c. By the term catella (hxcatenula) 
is here meant a small chain, which females commonly wore upon their 
wrists by way of bracelets. Periscelis, which we have here rendered 
" garter," would seem to have been a species of ornament passing round 
the leg, and meeting the straps which secured the sandal on the foot. 
The word is of Greek origin, irepicKeXis. 

58 — 62. 58. Nee semel irrisus, Ac. " Nor will he who has once been 
imposed upon," &c. — 59. Fracto crure planum. " A vagabond with his 
leg actually broken." Planus is of Greek origin (*\dvos.) Decimus La- 
berius first Latinised, and Aulus Gallius blames the boldness of, it. But 
Cicero and Horace refute the censure of the Grammarian. — 60. Osirin. 
Osiris, the Egyptian deity, was principally worshipped at Rome by the 
lower orders ; and hence the wandering beggar here swears by his name. 
— 62. Quaere peregrinum. An allusion to the common answer given in 
such cases. Tollat te quinonnorit, which passed into a proverb. — Rauca. 
" Hoarse with bawling." 



Epistle 18. As in the preceding epistle the poet has given advice to 
Scasva, on the line of conduct to be pursued in his intercourse with the 
Great, so here he lays down precepts to the same effect, for the guidance 
of Lollius. — The individual to whom this epistle is addressed, appears, 
as Wetzel correctly supposes, to be the same person with the one to whom 
the second epistle of the present book is inscribed. 

1 — 14. 1. Lib er rime Lolli. " Frankest Lollius." — 2. Scurrantis spe- 
ciem prabere, &c. "To display the character of a sordid flatterer, when 
thou hast professed thyself a friend." As regards the peculiar force of 
scurrantis, in this passage, compare the explanation of the scholiast ; 
" Scurrantis ; turpiter adulantis." — 3. Ut matrona meretrici dispar erit at- 
que discolor, &c. " As a matron will differ from a courtesan both in sen- 
timent and in appearance, so will a friend be unlike a faithless flatterer." 
The particle ita is to be supplied in the latter clause of the sentence. — 
5. Hide vitio. Alluding to base and sordid flattery. — 6. Asperitas agrestis 
et inconcinna gravisque. " A clownish and unmannerly and offensive 
rudeness." — 7. Tonsa cute. " By being shorn to the skin." Compare 
Epist. 1. 7. 50. — 8. Libertas mera. '' Mere frankness." — 9. Virtus est 
medium vitiorum, &c. " Virtue holds a middle place between these op- 
posite vices, and is equally removed from each." — 1 0. Alter in obsequium 
plus cequo pronus, &c. "The one too prone to obsequious fawning, and 
a buffoon of the lowest couch," i. e. carrying his obsequious com plaisance 
to excess, and degenerating into a mere buffoon. The expression imi 



558 EXPLANATORY N0TE9. — BOOK I. EPISTLE X. 

the streets." i. e. the leaden pipes that convey it through the streets of 
the city. Water was brought to Rome both in aqueducts and leaden 
pipes. The latter, however, were principally employed in distributing 
it throughout the city, after it had been conveyed thither by the former: 
for, in truth, no pipe could have supported the weight of water brought 
to the city in the aqueducts. — 21. Quam qua per pronum, &c. "Than 
that which runs murmuring along its sloping channel." — 22. Nempe inter 
varias, &c. The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : They 
who dwell in cities endeavour, it is true, to procure for themselves, by 
means of art, the beauty and the enjoyment of rural scenes. " For ex- 
ample, a wood is reared amid columns of variegated marble, and that 
abode is praised which commands a prospect of distant fields," yet na- 
ture, though men strive to expel her by violence, will as often return, and 
will insensibly triumph over all their unreasonable disgusts. As regards 
the expression inter varias nutritur silva columnas, consult note on Ode 3. 
10. 5. — 24. Naturam expelles furca. By nalura is here meant, that relish 
for the pleasures of a rural life which has been implanted by nature in 
the breast of all, though weakened in many by the force of habit or edu- 
cation. This natural feeling, says the poet, can never entirely be eradi- 
cated, but must eventually triumph over every obstacle. The expres- 
sion expelles furca is metaphorical, and refers to the driving away by vio- 
lence. It appears to be a mode of speaking derived from the manner 
of rustics, who arm and defend themselves with forks, or remove, by 
means of the same instrument, whatever opposes them. — 25. Mala fas- 
tidia. Alluding to those unreasonable disgusts which keep away the 
rich and luxurious from the calm and simple enjoyments of a country 
life. 

26, 27. 26. JVbn, qui Sidonio, &c. Horace compares the taste of 
Nature to the true purple, and that of the passions to an adulterated and 
counterfeit purple. The man, he observes, who cannot distinguish be- 
tween what is true and what is false, will as surely injure himself, as the 
merchant who knows not the difference between the genuine purple and 
that which is the reverse. — Sidonio. Sidon was a famous commercial 
city, the capital of Phoenicia, about 24 miles north of Tyre, which was 
one of its colonies. — Contendere callidus. " Skilfully to compare." Peo- 
ple who compare pieces of stuff together, stretch them out near each 
other, the better to discern the difference. — 27. Aquinatem potantia vellera 
fucum. " The fleeces that drink the dye of Aquinum." According 
to the scholiast, a purple was manufactured at Aquinum in imitation of 
the Phoenician. Aquinum was a city of theVolsci, in new Latium, 
situate a little beyond the place where the Latin way crossed the rivers 
Liris and Melfis. — Fucum. Consult note on Ode 3. 5. 28. 

30 — 38. 30. Quem res plus nimio, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed is this : They who bound their desires by the wants of nature, 
(and such is usually the temper of a country life) are independent of 
Fortune's favours and resentments, her anger and inconstancy. — 31. Si 
quid mirabere, pones invitus. "If thou shalt admire any thing greatly, 
thou wilt be unwilling to resign it." — 32. Licet sub paupere tecto, &c. 
" One may live more happily beneath an humble roof, than the powerful 
and the friends of the powerful." Reges is here equivalent to poteniiores 
or ditiores. — 34. Cervus equum, &c. The fable here told is imitated from 
Stesichorus, who repeated it to the inhabitants of Himera, in Sicily, when 
the latter were about to assign a body-guard to Phalaris, tyrant of Agri- 
gentum, whom they had called to their aid, and made commander of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XI. 559 

their forces. Stesichorus, as Aristotle informs us, (Rhet. 2. 39.) under- 
took by this apologue to show the Himereans of what folly they would 
be guilty, if they thus delivered themselves up into the hands of a pow- 
erful individual. — Commwiibus herbis. " Fiom their common pasture." 
35. Minor. "Worsted." Proving inferior.— 37. Victor violens. "A 
proud victor." — 38. Depulit. Equivalent to depelkre potuit. 

39 — 50. 39. Sic, qui pauperiem veritus, &c. "In like manner, he, 
who, from a dread of narrow circumstances, parts with his liberty, more 
precious than any metals, shall shamefully bear a master, and be forever 
a slave, because he shall not know how to be contented with a little," i. e. 
he, who, not content with a little, regards the precious boon of freedom; 
as of inferior moment when compared with the acquisition of riches, shall 
become the slave of wealth and live in eternal bondage. — Mtiallis. Used 
contemptuously for diviiiis. — 42. Cui non conveniet sua res, &c. The idea 
intended to be conveyed is simply this : When a man's lbrtune does not 
suit his condition, it will be like a shoe, which is apt to cause us to trip if 
too large, and which pinches when too small. — Olim. " Oftentimes." — 
45. JV*ec me dimiltes incastigatum, &c. The poet makes use of this cor- 
rective to soften the advice which he has given to his friend. He desires 
to be treated with the same frankness, whenever he shall appear enslaved 
by the same passions. — 46. Cogere. Equivalent to congerere. — 47. Impe- 
rat, hand servit, &c. The sense evidently requires haud, not aid as the 
common editions read. Money rules the avaricious man, as the rider 
rules the steed ; it yields no obedience, but on the contrary chains him in 
continual bondage. — 43. Tortum digna sequi, &c. "Though deserving 
rather to follow, than to lead, the twisted rope," i. e. deserving rather to 
be held in subjection, than itself to subject others. The metaphor here 
employed is taken from beasts that are led with a cord. — 49. Dictabam. 
4< I dictated," L e. to my amanuensis. In writing letters, the Romans used 
the imperfect tense, to denote what was going on at the time when they 
wrote, putting themselves, as it were, in the place of the person who re- 
ceived the letter, and using the tense which would be proper when it came 
to his hands. — Post fanum putre Vacuncc. " Behind the mouldering fane 
of Vacuna." Vacuna was a Sabine goddess, analogous, according to 
some authorities, to the Roman Victoria, but, if we follow Varro, the 
same with Minerva. The temple of the goddess, in the Sabine territory, 
not far from a grove likewise consecrated to her, would seem to have been 
in the vicinity of the poet's villa. Behind its mouldering remains, seated 
on the grassy turf, Horace dictated the present epistle. — 50. Excepto, quod 
non simul esses, &c. " In all other respects happy, except that thou wert 
not with me." With excepto supply eo. 



Epistle 11. The poet instructs his friend Bullatius, who was roam- 
ing abroad for the purpose of dispelling the cares which disturbed his 
repose, that happiness does not depend upon climate or place, but upon 
the state of our own minds. 

1 — 3. 1. Quid tibi visa Chios, &.C. "How does Chios appear to thee, 
Bullatius, and famed Lesbos? How, neat Samos?"-— C7wo.?. An isl- 
and in the iEgean sea, off the coast of Lydia, and one of the twelve 
states established by the Ionians, who emigrated to Asia from Attica 
and Achaia. It is now Scio.— Lesbos. An island of the iEgean, south 
of Tenedos. Its modern name is Mitylvn, derived from Mitylene, the 



561} EXPLANATORY NOTE9. BOOK I. EPISTLE XI. 

ancient capital. Lesbos was colonised by the jEolians in the first great 
emigration. The epithet nota, which is here given it, applies not so 
much to the excellent wine produced there, as to the distinguished per- 
sons who were natives of the island, and among whom may be men- 
tioned Sappho, Alcseus, Theophrastus, &c. — 2. Concinna Satnos. Sa- 
mos lies south-east of Chios. It is about six hundred stadia in circum- 
ference, and full of mountains. This also was one of the twelve Ionian 
states of Asia. The epithet concinna, here bestowed on it, would seem 
to refer to the neatness and elegance of its buildings. — Quid Crasi re- 
gia Sardis 7 Sardis was the ancient capital of the Lydian king, and 
stood on the river Pactolus. It was afterwards the residence of the sa- 
trap of Lydia, and the head-quarters of the Persian monarchs when they 
visited western Asia. — 3. Smyrna. This city stood on the coast of Ly- 
dia, and was one of the old iEolian colonies ; but the period of its splen- 
dour belongs to the Macedonian era. Antigonus and Lysimachus 
made it one of the most beautiful towns in Asia. The modem town Is- 
mur, or Smyrna, is the chief trading-place of the Levant. — Colophon. A 
city of Ionia, north-west of Ephesus, famed for its excellent cavalry. — 
Fama ? " Than fame represents them to be ?" 

4 — 11. 4. Cunctane prce. campo, &c. " Are they all contemptible in 
comparison with the Campus Martius and the river Tiber?" Sordeo is 
here equivalent to contemnor, vilis cestimo, nihili pendor, &c. — 5. Jin venit 
in votum, &c. " Or does one of the cities of Attains become the object 
of thy wish?" Literally, "enter into thy wish," i. e. dost thou wish to 
dwell in one of the cities of Attalus? Among the flourishing cities 
ruled over in earlier days by Attalus, were Pergamus, the capital, Myn- 
dus, Apollonia, Tralles, Thyatira, &c. — 6. Lebedum. Lebedus was a 
maritime city of Ionia, north-west of Colophon. It was at one time a 
large and flourishing city ; but upon the removal of the greater part of 
its inhabitants to Ephesus, by Lysimachus, it sank into insignificance, 
and, in the time of Horace, was deserted and in ruins. — Gabiis. There 
were two cities of the name of Gabii in Italy, one among the Sabines 
and the other in Latium. The latter was the more celebrated of the 
two, and is the place here referred to. Strabo makes it to have been 
on the Via Praenestina, and about 100 stadia from Rome. The Itine- 
raries reckon twelve miles from Rome to this city. — 8. Fidenis. Fidense 
was a small town of the Sabines, about four or fives miles from Rome, 
and is well known as a brave though unsuccessful antagonist of the lat- 
ter city. — 1 1 . Sed neque qui Capua, &c. The idea intended to be con- 
veyed, from this line to the close of the epistle, is as follows: But, what- 
ever city or region may have pleased thee, my friend, return now, I en- 
treat thee, to Rome. For, as he who journeys to the latter place from 
Capua, does not feel inclined to pass the rest of his days in an inn by 
the way, because, when bespattered with rain and mire, he has been 
able to dry and cleanse himself there ; and as he who, when labouring 
under the chill of a fever, has obtained relief from the stove and the 
warm-bath, does not therefore regard these as sufficient to complete the 
happiness of life ; so do thou linger no more in the places which at pre- 
sent may delight thee, nor, if a tempest shall have tossed thee on the 
deep, sell in consequence thy vessel, and revisit not for the time to come 
thy native country and thy friends. Rhodes and the fair Mitylene are 
to him who visits them when in sound health, precisely the same as 
other things, which, though good in themselves, prove, if not used at 
the proper period, injurious rather than beneficial. Return, therefore, 
and, far removed from them, praise foreign cities and countries from 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XII. 561 

Rome. Enjoy the good things which fortune now auspiciously offers, 
in order that, wherever thou mayest be, thou mayest be able to say that 
thy life has been passed happily. For if the cares of the mind are re- 
moved, not by pleasing scenery, but by reason and reflection, they 
surely who run beyond the sea change climate only, not the mind. 
Yet such is human nature : we are borne afar in ships and chariots, to 
seek for that which lies at our very doors. 

13—19. 13. Frigus. Consult note on Sat. 1. 1. 80. — 14. Ut fortuna. 
tamplene, &c. " As completely furnishing the means of a happy life." — 
17. Incolumi Rlwdos et Mitylene, &c. "Rhodes and fair Mitylene are to 
a man in good health, the same as a great-coat at the summer solstice, 
a pair of drawers alone in the snowy season." As regards Mitylene, 
compare note on verse 1. " nolaque Lesbos." The paenula was a kind 
of great-coat or wrapper, worn above the tunic, used chiefly on journeys 
and in the army. It was sometimes covered with a rough pile or hair 
for the sake of warmth, at other times made of skins, &c. By the cam- 
pestre is properly meant a sort of linen covering, used by those who ex- 
ercised naked in the Campus Martius, that nothing indecent might be 
seen. We have rendered the term, "a pair of drawers," merely for the 
sake of making the general meaning more intelligible to modern ears." 
— 19. Tiberis. The allusion is to bathing. — Sextili mense. Consult note 
on Epist. 1. 7. 2. 

21 — 30. 21. Romae laudetur Samos, &c. " Let Samos, and Chios, 
and Rhodes, far away, be praised by thee at Rome." — 22. Fortunaverit. 
Equivalent to beaverit. — 24. Libenter. Equivalent to felicitor or jucunde. 
— 26. JVbft locus effusi late maris arbiter. " Not a place that commands 
a prospect of the wide-extended sea." — 28. Strenuanos exercet inertia. 
" A laborious idleness occupies us." A pleasing oxymoron. The indo- 
lent often show themselves active in those very things which they ought 
to avoid. So here, all these pursuits of happiness are mere idleness, and 
turn to no account. We are at incredible pains in pursuit of happiness, 
and yet after all cannot find it ; whereas, did we understand ourselves 
well, it is to be had at our very doors. — 29. Petimus bene vivere. " We 
seek for a spot in which to live happily." — 30. Ulubris. Ulubrae was a 
small town of Latium, and appears to have stood in a plain at no great 
distance from Velitrae. Its marshy situation is plainly alluded to by 
Cicero, (Ep. ad Fam. 7. 18.) who calls the inhabitants little frogs. — Ju- 
venal also gives us but a wretched idea of the place. And yet even here, 
according to Horace, may happiness be found, if he who seeks for it pos- 
sesses a calm and equal mind, one that is not the sport of ever- varying 
resolves, but is contented with its lot. 



Epistle 12. The poet advises Iccius, a querulous man, and not con- 
tented with his present wealth, to cast aside all desire of possessing 
more, and remain satisfied with what he has thus far accumulated. The 
epistle concludes with recommending Pompeius Grosphus, and with a 
short account of the most important news at Rome. — The individual 
here addressed is the same with the one to whom the twenty-ninth ode 
of the first book is inscribed, and from that piece it would appear, that, 
in pursuit of his darling object, he had at one time taken up the profes- 
sion of a soldier. Disappointed, however, in this expectation, he looked 
around for other means of accomplishing his views ; and not in vain ; 



562 EXPLANATORY N0TE3. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XII. 

for Agrippa appointed him superintendant of his estates in Sicily, a sta- 
tion occupied by him when this epistle was written. It should be far- 
ther remarked, that the individual addressed had pretensions also to the 
character of a philosopher. In the odejust referred to, Horace describes 
him as a philosophical soldier, and here as a philosophical miser, but he 
becomes equally ridiculous in either character. 

1 — 4. 1. Fructibus Agrippae Siculis. " The Sicilian produce of 
Agrippa," i. e. the produce of Agrippa's Sicilian estates. After the de- 
feat of Sextus Pompeius off the coast of Sicily, near Messana, and the 
subjection of the whole island which followed this event, Augustus, in 
return for so important a service, bestowed on Agrippa very extensive 
and valuable lands in Sicily. Iccius was agent or farmer over these. — 2. 
./Yo?i est nt. " It is not possible that." An imitation of the Greeek idi- 
om oh< eanv d>j or H-irwg. So that non est ut possit is equivalent in effect to 
the simple non potest. — 3. Tulle querelas. We may suppose Iccius, like 
other avaricious men, to have indulged in frequent complaints respect- 
ing the state of his affairs. — 4. Cui rerum suppetit usus. " Who has a 
sufficiency for all his wants." — Si ventri bene, &c. The whole clause, 
from si to tuis inclusive, is equivalent in effect to si vales. 

7 — 8. 7. Si forte. Iccius very probably lived in the way here de- 
scribed : the poet, however, in order to soften down his remark, adds the 
term forte, as if he were merely stating an imaginary case. — In medio 
positorum. " In the midst of abundance." Literally, "in the midst of 
the things placed before thee." The reference is to the rich produce of 
Agrippa's estates. — 8. Urtica. The reference is not to nettles, but to 
the shell-fish, urtica marina. From the last verse of the epistle it is ap- 
parent that it was written in autumn ; whereas nettles were only eaten 
by the poorer classes in the spring, when they were tender. Besides, 
the poet mentions fish in the twenty-first line. — Sic vives protenus ut. 
Compare the explanation of Hunter ; " Sic vives protenus est, sic porro 
vives, sic perges vivere, ut (eliamsi) te confestim liquidus fortunae rivus in- 
auret, i. e etiamsi repente dives factus sis." The allusion in the words li- 
quidus fortuncz rivus inauret, is thought by some commentators to be to 
the story of Midas and the river Pactolus. We should have great doubts 
respecting the accuracy of this remark. The phrase in question would 
rather seem to be one of a mere proverbial character. 

10 — 13. 10. Vel quia naturam, &c. The poet here amuses himseli 
with the philosophic pretensions of Iccius, and involves him in a ludi- 
crous and awkward dilemma. The train of ideas is as follows : What ? 
art thou a philosopher, and dost thou complain of not being richer ? 
Suppose that wealth were to come suddenly into thy possession, what 
wouldst thou gain from such a state of things? evidently nothing. For 
thy present mode of life is either the result of thy natural feelings, or of 
thy philosophy : Is it of the former ? Gold cannot change thy nature. 
Is it of the latter ? Thy philosophy teaches thee that virtue alone con- 
tributes to true happiness. The whole argument is keenly ironical. — 
12. Miramur, si Democriti, &c. The train of ideas is as follows : We 
wonder at the mental abstraction of Democritus, who was so wrapt up 
in his philosophical studies as to neglect entirely the care of his domestic 
concerns, and allow the neighbouring flock to feed upon his fields and 
cultivated grounds ; but how much more ought we to wonder at thee, 
Iccius, who canst attend at the same time to thy pecuniary affairs and 
the investigations of philosophy, and not, like Democritus, sacrifice the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XIX. 563 

former to the latter. Ironical ! — Democrili. Democritus was a native of 
Abdera in Thrace, and the successor of Leucippus in the Eleatic school. 
He was contemporary with Socrates, Anaxagoras, Archelaus, Parme- 
nides, Zeno, and Protagoras. The story here told of him deserves little 
credit, as well as the other, which states that he gave up his patrimony 
to his country. He is commonly known as the laughing philosopher. — 
1 3. Dum peregre est animus sine corpore velox. Horace in this follows the 
Platonic notion, that the soul, when employed in contemplation, was in 
a manner detached from the body, that it might the more easily mount 
above earthly things, and approach nearer the objects it desired to con- 
template. 

14 — 19. 14. Inter scabiem tanlum el contagia lucri. "Amid so great 
impurity and infection of gain." — 15. Mhuc. "Still." Equivalent to 
nunc quoque. — 16. Quce mare compescant causae. "What causes set 
bounds to the sea." — Quid temperet annum. "What regulates the 
changes of the year." — 17. Stellas sponte sua, &c. Alluding to the pla- 
nets. — IS. Quid premat obscurum lunai, &c. " What spreads obscurity 
over the moon, what brings out her orb," i. e. what occasions the eclipses 
of the moon, what the re-appearance of her light. — 19. Rerum concordia 
discors. " The discordant harmony of things." The reference here is 
to those principles of things, which, though ever in direct opposition to 
each other, yet ever agree in preserving the great scheme of the universe. 

20 — 24. 20. Empedocles, an Stertinium deliret acumen. " Whether 
Empedocles, or the acuteness of Stertinius be in the wrong." Empe- 
docles was a native of Agrigentum, in Sicily, and nourished about 444. 
B. C. His system of physics, which was substantially that of the Py- 
thagorean school, to which he belonged, is here opposed to that main- 
tained by Stertinius, the stoic. — 21. Varum seu pisces, &c. An ironical 
allusion to the doctrines of Pythagoras, respecting the metempsychosis, 
according to which the souls of men passed not only into animals, but 
also into plants, &c. Hence to feed on these becomes actual murder. — 
22. Utere Pompeio Grospho. "Give a kind reception to my friend Pom- 
peius Grosphus." The individual here meant is the same to whom the 
poet addresses the sixteenth ode of the second book, according to the 
opinion of some commt atators. (Compare Introductory Remarks, Ode 
2. 7.) — Ultro defer. " Readily grant it." — 24. Vilis amicomm est amiona, 
&c. " 'Tis a good harvest for procuring friends when worthy men want 
any thing." The expression here employed is one of peculiar felicity, 
and the meaning of the poet is this: If agoodman, like Grosphus, shall 
be aided by thee in any tiling of which he is in want, thou wilt be able 
to make him thy friend by a very trifling expenditure of thy resources, 
for he will only ask what is moderate and reasonable. 

25 — 27. 25. Romana res. "The Roman affairs." The poet here 
proceeds to communicate four pieces of intelligence to Iccius: 1st. The 
reduction of the Cantabri by Agrippa. 2d. The pacification of Armenia 
by Tiberius. 3. The acknowledgment of the Roman power by the Par- 
tisans. 4th. The abundant harvests of the year. — 26. Cantaber Jigrip^ 
•pot. Consult note on Ode 3. 8. 22. — Claudi virtuie Neronis Jlrmenius 
occidit. Horace, it will be perceived, does not here follow that account 
which makes Artaxias, the Armenian king, to have fallen by the trea- 
chery of his relations, but enumerates his death among the exploits ot 
Tiberius. This, of course, is done to flatter the young prince, and is in 
accordance with the popular belief of the day. — 27. Jms imperiumque 



5G4 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XIII. 

Phraates Cozsaris accevit, &c. "Phraates, on bended knee, has acknow- 
ledged the supremacy of Caesar." Jits impeHumque, as here employed, 
includes the idea of both civil and military power, i. e. full and unlimited 
authority. The allusion is to the event already mentioned in the note 
on Ode 1. 28. 3. when Phraates, through dread of the Roman power, 
surrendered the Roman standards and captives. 



Epistle 13. The poet, having entrusted Vinius with several rolls of 
his writings (volumina) that were to be delivered to Augustus, amuses 
himself with giving him directions about the mode of carrying them, and 
the form to be observed in presenting them to the emperor. 

1 — 7. 1. Ut proficiscente.mdocui,&Lc. "Vinius, thou wiltpresent these 
sealed rolls to Augustus, in the way that I repeatedly and long taught 
thee when setting out," i. e. in handing these rolls to the emperor, re- 
member the many and long instructions which I gave thee at thy depar- 
ture. — 2. Signata volumina. Horace is supposed by the commentators 
to have sent on this occasion not only the epistle to Augustus (the first 
of the second book), but also the last ode? and epistles he had written. 
He calls these pieces volumina, because they were separately rolled up, 
and they are sealed, in order that they may not be exposed to the prying 
curiosity of the courtiers. — Vini. Vinius is thought to have been one of 
our poet's neighbours, and a man evidently of low birth. The family, 
however, rose into importance under the succeeding emperors, and we 
find Titus Vinius rilling the consulship under Galba. — 3. Si validus, si 
lastus erit, &c. "If he shall be in health, if in spirits, if, in fine, he shall 
ask for them." Validus stands opposed to male validus. With poscet we 
may supply tradi sibi volumina. — 4. JVe studio nostri pecces, &c. " Lest 
through eagerness to serve me, thou give offence, and industriously bring 
odium on my productions, by appearing in the character of an over-offi- 
cious agent." — 6. Uret. Equivalent to premet or vexabit. — 7. Quamquo 
perferre juberis, &c. "Than roughly throw down thy pannier where 
thou art directed to carry it, and turn into ridicule thy paternal cogno- 
men of Asella," i. e. thy family name of Asella. Horace puns upon the 
name of his neighbour, and tells him that he should beware of blunder- 
ing ia the presence of the courtiers, who would most certainly rally him, 
in such an event, upon his surname of Asella, (i. e. a little ass.) The 
poet prepares us for this witticism, such as it is, by the use of clilellas in 
the commencement of the line, under which term the rolls above-men- 
tioned are figuratively referred to. 

10 — 15. 10. Lamas. "Fens." Compare the Vet Gloss. " Lamce. 
vvXibkt; t6koi." — 11. Victor propositi simul ac, &c. " As soon as thou 
shalt have arrived there, after having conquered all the difficulties of the 
way." The poet, both in this and the preceding line, keeps up the pun- 
ning allusion in the name Asella. — 1 2. Sub ala. " Under thy arm." — 
14. Ut vinosa glomus, &c. " As the tippling Pyrrhia the clew of pilfered 
yarn." The allusion is to a comedy written by Titinius, in which a slave, 
named Pyrrhia, who was addicted to drinking, stole a clew or ball of 
yarn, and carried it away under her arm. As Vinius had, without doubt, 
been several times present at the representation of this piece, Horace 
reminds him of that image which we may suppose had produced the 
strongest impression upon him. As regards the term glomus (which we 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XIV. 5G5 

have adopted after Bentley, instead of the common glomos) it may be 
remarked, that the neuter form is decidedly preferable to the masculine, 
and that the meaning also is improved by its being here employed. — 15. 
Ut cum pilevlo soleas conviva tribulis. " As a tribe-guest his slippers and 
cap." By conviva tribulis is meant one of the poorer members of a tribe, 
and in particular a native of the country, invited to an entertainment 
given by some richer individual of the same tribe. The guest, in the 
true country-fashion, proceeds barefoot to the abode of his entertainer, 
with his slippers and cap under his arm. The former are to be put on 
when he reaches the entrance, that he may appear with them in a clean 
state before the master of the house. The cap was to be worn when 
they returned ; for as they sometimes went on such occasions to sup at 
a considerable distance from home, and returned late, the cap was ne- 
cessary to defend them from the injuries of the air. 

16 — 19. 16. JVeit vulgo narres, &c. It is dangerous, observes Sana- 
don, to prejudice the public in favour of a work. If it has beauties, per- 
haps the reader would be better pleased to have had the liberty of dis- 
covering them himself. If it has not, he cannot be long deceived, and 
we shall only be rewarded with some of the reproach due to the author. 
— 18. Nitere porro. " Do thy best to succeed." Literally " strive on- 
ward," i. e. to the mark or object thou hast in view. — 19. Cave ne titubes, 
mandataque frangas. " Take care lest thou stumble, and injure the 
things entrusted to thy care." Mandata refers either to carmina or volu- 
inina understood, unless we suppose the allusion to be either to the cases 
in which the rolls were put, or the umbilici around which they were 
folded. 



Epistle 14. The poet, in this epistle, gives us the picture of an un- 
steady mind. His farm was commonly managed by a master-sen/ant, 
who was a kind of overseer or steward, and as such had the whole care of 
it entrusted to him in his master's absence. The office was at this time 
filled by one who had formerly been in the lowest station of his slaves at 
Rome, and, weary of that bondage, had earnestly desired to be sent to his 
employment in the country. Now, however, that he had obtained his 
wish, he was disgusted with a life so laborious and solitary, and wanted 
to be restored to his former condition. The poet, in the mean time, who 
was detained at Rome by his concern for a friend who mourned the loss of 
his brother, and had no less impatience to get into the country than his 
steward to be in town, writes him this epistle to correct his inconstancy, 
and to make him ashamed of complaining that he was unhappy in a place 
which afforded so much delight to his master, who thought he never had 
any real enjoyment as long as he was absent from it. 

1 — 9. 1. Villice silvarwn, &c. " Steward of my woods, and of the lit- 
tle farm that always restores me to myself." The villicus was usually of 
servile condition. — 2. Habitation quinque focis, &c. " Though occupied by 
five dwellings, and accustomed to send five honest heads of families to 
Varia." The poet merely wishes by the expression quinque bonos solitum, 
&c. to add still more precision to the phrase habitation quinque focis in the 
second verse. His farm contained on it five families, and the fathers or 
heads of these families were accustomed, as often as their private affairs or 
it wish to dispose of their commodities, called them thither, to go to the 



566 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XIV. 

neighbouring town ofVaria. In this way he strives to remind the indi- 
vidual whom he addresses, that the farm in question, though small in itself, 
was yet, as far as regarded the living happily upon it, sufficiently exten- 
sive. — 4. Spinas animo. A metaphorical allusion to the eradicating of 
cares and anxieties from the mind. — 5. Et melior sitHoratius anres. "And 
whether Horace or his farm be in the better condition." — 6. Lamias, pietas 
et cura. " My affection and concern for Lamia." The reference is to GL 
JElius Lamia, an intimate friend of the poet's. Compare Ode 1. 26. — Me 
moratur. " Detain me here," i. e. at Rome. — 8. Mens animusqne. "Equi- 
valent to tolus mens animus. When the Latin writers use mens animusque, 
they would express all the faculties of the soul. Mens regards the superior 
and intelligent part; animus, the sensible and inferior, the source of the 

Eassions. — 9. Et amat spatiis obstantia rumpere claustra. "And lonff to 
reak through the barriers that oppose my way." A figurative allusion to 
the carceres, or barriers in the circus, (here called claustra,) where the 
chariots were restrained until the signal given for starting; as well as to 
the spatia, or course itself. The plural form spatia is more frequently em- 
ployed than the singular, in order to denote that it was run over several 
times in one race. 

10 — 30. 10. Viventem. " Him who lives." — In urbe. Supply viven- 
tern. — 11. Sua nimirum est odio sors. "His own lot evidently is an un- 
pleasing one." The idea intended to be expressed by the whole line is 
this : 'Tis a sure sign when we envy another's lot, that we are discon- 
tented with our own. — 12. Locum immeritum. Referring to the place in 
which each one is either stationed at the time, or else passes his days.— 
13. Qui se non effugit unquam. Compare Ode, 2. 16. 20. "Patriot, quis 
exsul se quoque fugit ?" — 14. Mediastinus. " While a mere drudge, at 
every one's beck." Mediastinus denotes a slave of the lowest rank, one 
who was attached to no particular department of the household, but was 
accustomed to perform the lowest offices, and to execute not only any 
commands which the master might impose, but even those which the 
other slaves belonging to particular stations might see fit to give. Hence 
the derivation of the name from medius, as indicating one who stands in 
the midst, exposed to the orders of all. — 15. Villicus. Supply factus. — 16. 
Me constare mihi scis. It is very apparent from the satires, and one in 
particular, (2. 7. 28.) that Horace was not always entitled to the praise 
which he here bestows upon himself for consistency of character. As 
he advanced in years the resolutions of the poet became more fixed and 
settled. — 19. Tesqua. "Wilds." — 21. Uncta popina. " The well-stocked 
cook-shop." Uncta is here sometimes rendered " dirty," or " greasy." — 23. 
Jlngulus iste. " That little spot of mine." The poet's steward dislikes his 
Sabine farm because it is less productive in the grape. — 26. Gravis. Al- 
luding to the heavy and uncouth movements of rustics in the dance, es- 
pecially when under the influence of wine.— Et tamen urges. As regards 
the peculiar force of urges in this passage, compare Virgil's insequi area, 
terrain insectari, &c. — 28. Disjunctum. "When loosened from the yoke," 
i. e. when in the stall.— 29. Addit opus pigro rivus. " The brook gives 
other employment to thee when released from heavier toil." Pigro is 
here equivalent to cessanti, or otianti. By the rivus is meant the Digen- 
tia. — 30. Multamole. "By many a mound." The banks of the brook 
must be dammed up lest it may overflow the pasture-grounds. 

31 — 44. 31. Q,uid nostrum concentum dividat. " What prevents our 
agreeing on tlsese points." — 32. Tenues togae. " Fine garments." Ten' 
ues is here equivalent to delicatiores, or minime crassae. — Nitidique capilli. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XV. 567 

" And locks shining with unguents." — 33. Immunem. "Without a pre* 
sent." Consult note on Ode 4. 1. 3. — 34. Bibidum liquidi, &c. Com- 
pare Epist. 1. 18.91. " Potores bibuli media de nocte FalerhV — 36. Nee 
lusisse pudet, &c. " Nor is it a shame to have been a little wild, but it is 
a shame not to put an end to such follies," i. e. by calling maturer judg- 
ment to our aid. — 37. Non istic obliquo oculo, &c. " There no one with 
envious eye takes aught away from my enjoyments." Limat is here 
equivalent to deterit. It was a common superstition among the ancients, 
that an envious eye diminished and tainted what it looked upon. — 38. 
Venenat. " Seeks to poison them." — 39. Moventem. Supply me. — 40. 
Cum servis urbana diaria, &c. " Wouldst thou rather gnaw with my 
other slaves thy daily allowance ?" Diaria was the allowance granted 
to slaves by the day. This was less in town than in the country, for 
their allowance was always proportioned to their labour. Hence the 
term rodere is employed in the text, not only to mark the small quantity, 
but also the bad kind, of food that was given to slaves in the city. — 41. 
Invidet usum lignorum, &c. " The cunning city-slave, on the other hand, 
envies thee the use of the fuel, the flocks, and the garden." The term 
calo is here taken in a general sense. — 43. Optat ephippia bos, &c. " The 
lazy ox wishes for the horse's trappings, the horse wishes to plough." 
The ephippia were, properly speaking, a kind of covering (vestis stragula) 
with which the horse was said to be constratus. — 44. Quam scit iiterque, 
libens, &c. " My opinion will be, that each of you ply contentedly that 
business which he best understands." — Uterque. Referring to the villicus 
and the calo. 



Epistle 15. Augustus having recovered from a dangerous illness 
by the use of the cold bath, which his physician Antonius Musa had 
prescribed, this new remedy came into great vogue, and the warm baths, 
which had hitherto been principally resorted to, began to lose their credit 
Antonius Musa, who was strongly attached to the system of treatment 
that had saved the life of his imperial patient, advised Horace among 
others to make trial of it. The poet therefore writes to his friend Nu- 
monius Vala, who had been using for some time the baths of Velia, and 
Salernum, in order to obtain information respecting the climate of these 
places, the manners of the inhabitants, &c. 

1 — 3. 1. Quae sit hyems Veliae, &c. In the natural order of construe 
tion, we ought to begin with the 24th verse, " Scribere te nobis, &c. 
The confusion produced by the double parenthesis is far from imparting 
any beauty to the epistle. — Veliae. Velia was a city of Lucania, situate 
about three miles from the left bank of the river Heles or Elees, which 
is said to have given name to the place. — Salemi. Salernum was a city 
of Campania, on the Sinus Paestanus. It is said to have been built by 
the Romans as a check upon the Picentini. It was not therefore situ- 
ated, like the modern town of Salerno, close to the sea, but on the height 
above, where considerable remains have been observed. — 2. Quorum 
hominum regio. " With what kind of inhabitants the country is peopled." 
— Nam mild Baias, &c. Understand ceiiset. " For Antonius Musa 
thinks, that Baiae is of no service to me," i. e. that I can derive no bene- 
fit from the warm baths at Baiae. — 3. Musa Jlntonius. As regards the 
celebrated cure performed by this physician on Augustus, which proved 
the foundation of his fame, compare the account of the scholi- 
ast. He recommended the cold bath to Horace also for the weakness 
51 



568 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPIS7LE XV. 

in his eyes. — Et tamen Mis me facit invisum, &c. "And yet makes me 
odious to that place, when I am going to be bathed in cold water, in the 
depth of winter," i. e. and yet makes the people of that place highly in- 
censed against me, when they see me about to use the cold bath in mid- 
winter. Perluor, as here employed, does not suppose that the poet 
had already used the cold bath, but that he was on the point of doing 
so. It is equivalent therefore to cum in to sum ut perluar. The sup- 
posed anger of the people of Baiae arises from seeing their warm baths 
slighted, and their prospects of gain threatened with diminution. 

5 — 9. 5. Myrteta. Referring to the myrtle-groves of Baiae. — 6. Ces- 
santem morbum. This morbus cessans ("lingering disease") is caused, ob- 
serves Sanadon, by a phlegmatic humour, which, obstructing the nerves, 
produces a languid heaviness, and sometimes deprives the part affected of 
all sensation and action, as in palsies and apoplexies. — 6. Elidere. " To 
drive away." Literally, " to dash out." The term strikingly depicts the 
rapidity of the cure. — 7. Sulfura. "Their sulphur-baths." The allusion 
is to the vapour-baths of Baiae — Invidus cegris. " Bearing no good will to 
these invalids." — 8. Qui caput et siomachum, &c. The allusion here would 
seem to be to a species of shower-baths. — 9. Clusinis. Clusium was a 
city of Etruria, nearly on a line with Perusia, and to the west of it. It is 
now Chiusi. — Gabiosque. Consult note on Epist. 1. 11.7. — Frigida. Cold 
because mountainous. 

' 10 — 25. 10. Mutandus locus est, &c. The idea intended to be convey- 
ed is this : I must obey my physician, I must change my baths, and go no 
more to Baiae. The poet now humorously supposes himself on the point 
of setting out. If perchance, observes he, my horse shall refuse to turn 
away from the road leading to Cumae or to Baiae, and to leave his usual 
stages, I, his rider, will chide him for his obstinacy, angrily pulling in the 
left-hand rein : but horses hear not words, their ear is in the bit.— Dever- 
soria notajtrczteragendus. An anastrophe, for agendus prater deversoria 
nota. — 11. Cumas. Cumae was an ancient city of Campania, placed on a 
rocky hill washed by the sea, and situate some distance below the 
mouth of the Vulturnus. — 12. Lava stomachosus habena. At the entrance 
into Campania the road divides: the right leads to Cumas andBaias; the left 
to Capua, Salernum, and Velia. The horse is going to his usual stage at 
Baiae, but Horace turns him to the left, to the Lucanian road. Compare 
Torrentius, ad loc. — 13. Eques. Referring to himself. — 14. Major utrum 
populum, &c. To be referred back to the second line of the epistle, so as 
to stand in connection with it, as a continuation of the poet's enquiries. — 
16. Jugis aqua. Our poet was obliged to drink more water than wine for 
fear of inflaming his eyes, and he was therefore more curious about it. — 
Nam vina nihil moror iliius or a. "Fori stop not to enquire about the 
wines of that region," i. e. I need not make enquiries about the wines of 
that part of the country ; I know them to be excellent. — 17. Q,uidvis. A 
general reference to plain and homely fare, but particularly to wine. — 18. 
Marei Alluding to the lower or Tuscan sea. — Generosam et lene requiro. 
"I want generous and mellow wine." — 21. Juvenem. "Made young 
again by its influence." — 22. Tractus uter. " Which tract of country." Al- 
luding to the respective territories of Velia and Salernum. — 23. Echinos. 
Consult note on Epode 5. 27. — 24. Pkaaxque. " And a true Phaeacian," 
i. e. as sleek as one of the subjects of Alcinous. Consult note on Epist. 
I. 2. 28.-25. Scribere te nobis, &c. Compare note on verse 1. 

26—31. 26. Manius. This individual has already made his appear- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XV. Ot>9 

ance before us in Sat. 1. 1. 101, and 1. 3.. 2. Our poet assures us, that 
he knew how to reconcile himself equally to a frugal or a sumptuous 
table ; and, to justify his conduct, he cites, with a bitter spirit of satire, 
the example of Msnius, with whose character he finishes the epistle. — 
Rebxis maternis atque paternis. " His maternal and paternal estates," 
i. e. the whole of his patrimony. — 27. Urbanus. "A merry fellow." — 
28. Scurra vagus, non qui certum, &c. " A wandering buffoon, who had 
no fixed eating-place ; who, when in want of a dinner, could not tell a 
citizen from an enemy." As regards the expression scurra vagus, it may 
be remarked, that there were two kinds of buffoons : some who kept 
entirely to one master ; and others who changed about from one to an- 
other, according as they met with the best entertainment. — Prasepe. A 
happy term, marking out Msenius as a species of gluttonous animal, and 
serving to introduce the rest of the description. — 30. Qualibet in quem- 
vis opprobria fingere scevus. "Merciless in inventing any calumnies 
against all without distinction." The comparison is here indirectly 
made with an animal raging through want of food. — Pernicies et tempes- 
tas barathrumque macelli. " The very destruction, hurricane, and gulf 
of the market." Horace calls Msenius the ruin and destruction of the 
market, in the same sense as Parmeno, in Terence, (Eunuch. 1. 1. 34.) 
styles Thais, " Fundi nostri calamitus," i. e. " the storm that ravages our 
farm." — 31. Barathrum. Consult note on Sat. 2. 3. Ifi6. — Quicquid qucc- 
sierat. "Whatever he had been able to obtain." 

33 — 45. 33. Nequitice fauloribus et timidis. " From the favourers of 
his scurrillity, or from those who dreaded it." Two sources of support 
for the scurra are here alluded to, those who directly favoured and en- 
couraged his abuse of others, and those, who, through the dread of 
suffering from it, purchased an escape by entertainments, &c. — 34. Pa- 
tinas canabat omasi, &c. " Would devour for supper whole dishes of 
tripe, and wretched lamb." With agnincB supply carnis. — 36. Scilicet ut 
ventres, &c. " Forsooth, in order that, like another rigid Bestius, he 
might declare that the bellies of gluttons ought to be branded with a red- 
hot iron," i. e. protesting loudly all the while, to be sure, that the bellies of 
gluttons ought to be branded with a red-hot iron, just as if he had been 
another Bestius. The individual here alluded to under the name of Bes- 
tius appears to have been a close, avaricious man, and a sworn foe, of 
course, to the luxurious and gluttonous spendthrifts of the day. — Lamna 
candente. The Greeks and Romans, observes Dacier, branded the belly 
of a gluttonous slave ; the feet of a fugitive ; the hands of a thief; and 
the tongue of a babbler. — 38. Ubi omne verterat infumum et cinerem. A 
figurative mode of expression to denote the entire wasting and consum- 
ing of a thing. — Si qui comedunt bona. " If some persons eat up their 
estates." — JV/Z vulva pulchrius ampla. "Nothing fairer than a large sow's 
paunch." This was esteemed a great dainty among the Romans. — 42. 
Nimirum hie ego sum : &c. " Just such an one am I ; for, when I have 
nothing better, I commend my quiet and frugal repast ; resolute enough 
amid humble fare." The poet now refers to himself. Quumres deficiunt 
may be more literally rendered, " when better means fail." Hie is by 
an elegant usage equivalent to talis. — 44. Verum ubi quid melius contingit 
et unctius. " When, however, anything better and more delicate offers," 
or, more literally, " falls to my lot." — 45. Quorum conspicitur nitidis, &c. 
" Whose money is seen well and safely laid out, in villas conspicuous 
for their elegance and beauty." Fundata is here equivalent to bene et 
tuto collocata ; and nitidis, to pidchntudine et nitore conspicuis. 



570 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XVI. 

Epistle 16. duinctius Hirpinus is thought to have written to Ho- 
race, reproaching him with his long stay in the country, and desiring a 
description of that little retirement where the poet professed to find so 
much happiness, and which he was so unwilling to exchange for the so- 
ciety of the capital. Horace yields to his request, and, after a short 
account of his retreat, and the manner in which he enjoyed himself 
there, falls into a digression concerning virtue ; where, after rejecting 
several false accounts and definitions, he endeavours to teach its true 
nature and properties. As this discussion is of a serious character, the 
poet seeks to enliven it by adopting the dialogue form. 

1 — 8. 1. Quincti. The individual here addressed is generally sup- 
posed to be the same with the one to whom the eleventh ode of the se- 
cond book is inscribed. Bothe, however, maintains, that the person 
meant is T. duinctius Crispinus, who was consul A. U. C. 745, and 
one of those driven into exile in the affair of Julia, the daughter of Au- 
gustus. — 2. Jirvo. " By its harvests." Or, more literally, " by tillage." 
— 3. An amicta vitibus ulmo. " Or with what the vine-clad elm bestows," 
i. e. with wine. An elegant allusion to the Roman practice of training 
the vine along the trunk and branches of the elm. — 4. Loquaciter. " In 
loquacious strain," i. e. at large. Compare the Greek AaXiori. The 
description, after all, is only ten lines ; but the poet perhaps felt, that 
some indirect apology was required for again turning to his favourite 
theme, although he intended to be brief in what he said. — Continui mon- 
tes, &c. " A continued range of mountains, except where they are 
parted by a shady vale," i. e. Imagine to thyself a continued chain of 
mountains, divided only by a shady vale. For the grammatical con- 
struction, we may supply hie sunt with montes, though the translation is 
far neater if no verb be expressed. The poet is pointing, as it were, to 
the surrounding scenery, and his friend is supposed to be stationed by 
his side. — Sed ut veniens dextrum latus, &c; " So situated, however, that 
the approaching sun views its right side, and warms its left when de- 
parting in his rapid car." — 8. Temperiem. Understand aris. — Si rubi- 
cunda benigni coma, &c. "If the very briars produce in abundance the 
ruddy cornels and sloes." 

10—17. 10. Multafruge. " With plenty of acorns." — Pecus. Equi- 
valent here to sues. — 11. Dicas adductum propius frondere Tarentum. 
" Thou wilt say that Tarentum blooms here, brought nearer to Rome," 
i. e. that the delicious shades of Tarentum have changed their situation 
and drawn nearer to Rome. — 12. Fans stiam rivo dare nomen idoneus. 
" A fountain, too, fit to give name to a stream," i. e. large enough to 
form, and give name to, a stream. The stream here meant is the Di- 
gentia, now Licenza : the other name for the fountain is the Fons Ban- 
dusice, now probably Fante Bello. Compare Ode 3. 13. — Idoneus dare. 
A Graecism for idoneus qui det. — 14. Utilis. In the sense of salubris. — 
16. Incolumem tibi me preestant. "Preserve me in health and safety for 
thee amid September hours," i. e. during the sickly season of Septem- 
ber. — 17. Tu recte vivis, si curas esse quod audis. " Thou leadest a happy 
life, if it is thy care to be what thou art reputed." Audis is here equiva- 
lent to diceris. Horace, observes Francis, is here very careless of the 
connection. After having described his farm, he would insinuate to 
duinctius, that the tranquil and innocent pleasures he found there were 
infinitely preferable to the dangerous and tumultuous pursuits of ambi- 
tion. He would inform him, that happiness, founded upon the opinion 
of others, is weak and uncertain ; that the praises which we receive 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XVL 571 

from a mistaken applause, are really paid to virtue, not to us ; and thai, 
while we are outwardly honoured, esteemed, and applauded, we are 
inwardly contemptible and miserable. Such was probably the then si- 
tuation of Gluinctius, who disguised, under a. seeming severity of man- 
ners, the most irregular indulgences of ambition and sensuality. Some 
years afterwards he broke through all restraint, and his incontinence 
plunged him into the last distresses. 

18 — 24. 18. Omnis Roma. Equivalent to nos omnes Romani. — 19. 
Sedvereor, ne cui de te plus, &c. "But I am under great apprehensions, 
lest thou mayest give more credit concerning thyself to any other than 
thyself, or lest thou mayest imagine that one may be happy who is other 
than wise and good," i. e. I am afraid lest, in a thing that so intimately 
concerns thee as thy own happiness, thou mayest trust more to the testi- 
mony of others than to the suggestions of thine own mind, and mayest 
fancy that happiness can subsist without wisdom and virtue. As regards 
the construction of the sentence, it may be remarked, that the ablatives 
sapiente and bono follow alium, because this last implies a comparison. 
— 21. Neu, si te populus, &c. The continuation of ideas is as follows: 
I am afraid also lest, though all pronounce thee well and in perfect health, 
thou mayest in reality be the prey of disease, and resemble him who con- 
ceals the lurking fever, at the hour for eating, lest food be denied him, 
until his malady too plainly shows itself by the trembling of his hands 
while busied with the contents of the dish. The degree of intimacy that 
subsisted between Horace and Gluinctius may easily be inferred from the 
present passage and the lines which immediately precede it; for who but 
a very intimate friend would hold such language to another ? — 23. Mani- 
bus unctis. Tne Romans did not use knives and forks in eating, but 
employed their fingers. — 24. Pudor malus. " The false shame." 

25—30. 25. Tibipugnata. " Fought by thee." — 26. Bicat. Equiva- 
lent here to canat. — Vacuus. "Open to his strains." — 27. Tene magis 
salvum, populus velit, &c. The careless manner of introducing the praises 
and name of Augustus, is not the least beautiful part of this passage. 
That his glories are inseparable from those of the state, and that his hap- 
piness consists in loving and being beloved by his people, are the highest 
praises which can possibly be given to a great and good prince. — 28. Servet 
in ambiguo. The wish expressed in the text is this, that Jupiter may keep it 
in doubt whether the people be more solicitous for the welfare of the prince, 
or the prince for that of the people, so that it may not appear that the one 
is surpassed by the other in feelings of attachment. — 30. Qiium pateris 
sapiens emmdalusque vocari, &c. " When thou sufferest thyself to be styled 
a wise and virtuous man, tell me, I entreat, dost thou answer to these appel- 
lations in thy own name?" i. e. dost thou answer to this character as 
thy own ? The connection in the train of ideas is as follows : No private 
man, that has the least glimpse of reason, can take for his own the ' 



that belong only to a great prince famed for his victories and success. 
And yet wherein is it less ridiculous to imagine ourselves wise and vir- 
tuous, without any real perception of these qualities within ourselves, 
only because the people ignorantly ascribe them to us ? 

31 — 44. 31. Nempe vir bonus et prudens, &c. "To be sure; I love to 
be called a good and wise man as well as thou." The poet here supposes 
his friend Gluinctius to reply to his question. Every one would willingly 
pass for a good and wise man, but the folly of it is placed in a strong 
light by bringing in the word dici. — 33. Qui dedit hoc hodie, eras si volet, 



572 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XVI. 

auferet, &c. This is the answer which Horace makes to Gluinctius. 
Were the populace steady in their approbation, there would be less rea- 
son to find fault with those who are at so much pains to acquire it ; be- 
cause it would procure them the same advantages, at least with regard to 
the populace, as real virtue. But as there is nothing more changeable, it 
is mere madness to build our hopes on a foundation so chimerical and un- 
certain. — 36. Idem si clamet furem, &c. The construction is, siidemclamet 
me esse furem, &c. — 39. Falsus honor. "Undeserved honour."— zMendax 
infamia. "Lying calumny." — 40. Mendosum et medicandum. "The vi- 
cious man, and him that stands in need of a cure." — 41. Servat. "Ob- 
serves." We are here supposed to have Gluinctius's definition of a vir 
bonus. — 42. Secantur. "Are decided." Compare Sat. 1. 10. 15. — 43. 
Quo res sponsore, et quo causce teste tenentur. "By whose surety property 
is retained, and by whose testimony causes are won." — 44. Sedvidet hunc 
omnis domus, &c. " Yet all his family and neighbours see this man to be 
polluted within, though imposing to the view with a fair exterior." Vani- 
ty, observes Sanadon, point of honour, sense of decency, or some other 
motive of interest, disguise mankind when they appear abroad; but at 
home they throw off the mask, and show their natural face. A magistrate 
appears in public with dignity, circumspection and integrity. A courtier 
puts on an air of gaiety, politeness and complaisance ; but let them enter 
into themselves and all is changed. A man may be a very bad man with 
all the good qualities given him by our poet's definition, as that slave 
may be a bad one who is neither a thief, murderer, nor fugitive. 

48 — 61. 48. Non pasces in cruce corvos. The capital punishment of 
slaves was crucifixion. The connection in the train of ideas, which has 
already been hinted at, is as follows : The man who aims only at obeying 
the laws, is no more than exempt from the penalties annexed to them ; as 
a slave, who is no fugitive nor thief, escapes punishment. But neither 
the one nor the other can on that account claim the character of virtue, 
because they may act only from a vicious motive, and, notwithstanding 
their strict adherence to the law, be still ready to break it when they can 
do so, with impunity. — 49. Renuit negitaque Sabellus. Horace here styles 
himself Sabellus, i. e. " the Sabine farmer," in imitation of the plain and sim- 
ple mode of speaking prevalent among the inhabitants of the country. — 51. 
Milvius. The poet alludes to a species offish, living on prey, and some- 
times, for the sake of obtaining food, darting up from the water like the 
flying-fish when pursued by its foe. — 56. Damnum est, own /acinus mihi 
pacto lenius isto. "My loss, it is true, is in this case less, but not thy vil- 
lany." The poet here touches, as it would appear, upon the doctrine of 
the Stoics, respecting the essential nature of crime. — 57. Vir bonus omne 
Jorum,, &c. Horace here introduces another vice, common to those who 
falsely affect a character of virtue ; they want also to deceive the world by 
putting on an exterior of devotion. They go to the temple, offer sacrifices, 
and pray so as to be heard by all. When they have prayed to gain the 
good opinion of the public, they mutter their secret wishes for the success 
of their villanies and hypocrisy. It is not the poet's design to censure 
either private or public prayer, but the abuse of it, and the vir bonus, here 
introduced to our notice, is, like the one that has preceded him, merely en- 
titled to this appellation in the opinion of the vulgar, who are governed en- 
tirely by external circumstances. — 59. Jane pater. To Janus not only the 
opening of the year was consecrated, but also that of the day, and he was 
of course invoked to aid the various undertakings in which men engaged. 
— 60. Pidchra Laverna. Laverna, in the strange mythology of the Ro- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XVII. 573 

mans, was the goddess of fraudulent men and of thieves. — 61. Dajusto 
sanctoque videri. A Grascism. 

63 — 72. 63. Qui melior servo, &c. In this latter part of his epistle the 
poet shows, that there is no servitude equal to that which our passions 
impose upon us. Men of a covetous temper stoop to the meanest arts 
of acquiring wealth. Horace justly compares them to that sordid class 
of beings, who descended so low as to stoop to take up a piece of false 
money, nailed to the ground by children on purpose to deceive those 
who passed by. — 67. Perdidit arma, locumvirtutis deseruit,&LC. " The man 
who is perpetually busy, and immersed, in the increasing of his wealth, 
has thrown away his arms, has abandoned the post of virtue." By arma 
are here meant the precepts of virtue and wisdom. The poet draws a 
noble and beautiful idea of life. The deity has sent us into this world 
to combat vice, and maintain a constant warfare against our passions. 
The man who gives ground is like the coward that has thrown away his 
arms and abandoned the post it was his duty to preserve. — 69. Captivum. 
" This captive." The avaricious and sordid man is here ironically sty- 
led a captive, because a complete slave to his covetous feelings. Cap- 
tives might either be put to death or sold, and the poet humourously re- 
commends the latter course, or else that he be retained and made useful 
in some way. — 70. Sine pascat durus, aretque. " Let him lead the hard 
life of a shepherd or a ploughman." — 72. Jlnnonm prosit. " Let him 
contribute to the cheapness of grain," i. e. by his labour. — Penusqm 
" And other provisions." 

73 — 79. 73. Vir bonus et sapiens, &c. After rejecting the several false 
notions of virtue which have just passed in review, the poet now lays 
down the position, that the truly good and wise man is he whom the 
loss of fortune, liberty and life cannot intimidate. With unexpected 
spirit and address he brings a god upon the stage, in the character of 
this good man, instead of giving a formal definition. The whole pas- 
sage is imitated from the Bacchae of Euripides, (484. seqq.) where Pen- 
theus, king of Thebes, threatens Bacchus with rough usage and with 
chains. — Pentheu, rector Thebarum, &c. Bacchus speaks. — 75. Nempe 
pecus, rem, lectos, &c. " My cattle, I suppose, my lands, my furniture, 
my money ; thou mayest take them." — 78. Ipse dens simulatque volam, 
&c. " A god will come in person to deliver me, as soon as I shall desire 
it." — Opinor, hoc sentit : &c. " In my opinion, he means this : I will 
die. Death is the end of our race." In the Greek play, Bacchus mean3 
that he will deliver himself, and when he pleases. Horace, therefore, in 
his imitation of the Greek poet, abandons the idea just alluded to, and 
explains the words conformably to his own design, of showing that the 
fear even of death is not capable of shaking the courage of a good man, 
or of obliging him to abandon the cause of virtue. — 79. Mors ultima ti- 
nea renvoi est. A figurative allusion to chariot races. Linea was a white 
rope drawn across the circus, and serving to mark both the beginning 
and the end of the race. 



Epistle 17. Horace, in this epistle, gives his young friend some in- 
structions for his conduct at court, that he may not only support his own 
character there, but proceed with happiness in that dangerous and slip- 
pery road. He shows, that an active life, the life of a man who attempts 
to gain and preserve the favours of the great by honourable means, is far 



574 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XVII. 

more reputable than an idle life without emulation and ambition. He 
then assures him that nothing can more probably ruin him at court, than 
a mean and sordid design of amassing money by asking favours. 

1—5. 1. Scceva. As this and the next epistle are written upon the 
same subject, the copyists would seem to have joined them together. 
Baxter and Gesner incline to the opinion that they were both written to 
the same person. We do not find, however, as Gesner himself acknow- 
ledges, that the house of Lollius ever took the cognomen of Scava, which 
appears in the Junian and Cassian families only. It is probable, that the 
individual here meant was the son of that Scasva whose valour is so highly 
spoken of by Caesar, (B. C. 3. 53.) — Per re. Equivalent to tua ipsius 
prudentia. — El scis, quo tandem pacto deceat majoribus '.iti. "And know- 
est well how to conduct thyself towards thy superiors," i.e. and art no 
way at a loss as to the manner of living with the great. — 3. Disce, docen- 
dus adhuc quce censet amiculus. "Yet hear what are the sentiments of 
thy old friend upon the subject, who himself still requires to be taught." 
— Ut si ccecus iter monstrare velit. "As if a blind guide should wish to 
show thee the way." The poet, here, in allusion to the docendus adhuc, 
which has gone before, styles himself emeus, a blind guide. — 5. Quod cures 
proprium fecisse. " Which thou mayest deem it worth thy while to make 
thine own." Proprium fecisse is here equivalent to in usum tuum con- 
vertisse. 

6 — 11 . 6. Primam somnus in koram. " Sleep until the first hour," i. e. 
until seven o'clock.— 8. Caupona. " The noise of the tavern." — Ferenti- 
num. A city of Etruria, south-east of the Lacus Vulsiniensis. It was 
almost deserted in the days of Augustus. — 10. JVec vixit male qui natus 
moriensque fefellit. "Nor has he lived ill, who, at his birth and death, 
has escaped the observation of the world," L e. nor has he made an ill 
choice of existence who has passed all his days in the bosom of obscu- 
rity. — 11. Si prodesse tuis pauloque benignius, &c. "If, however, thou 
shalt feel disposed to be of service to thy friends, and to treat thyself with 
a little more indulgence than ordinary, thou wilt go a poor man to the 
rich," i. e. if thou shalt want to be useful to thy friends, and indulge thy- 
self more freely in the pleasures of life, then make thy court to the great. 
Siccus, when the reference is to drinking, is opposed to uvidus, but, in the 
case of eating, to unctus. The term uncli therefore is used in speaking 
of those who fare sumptuously, while by sicci are meant such as are con- 
fined, from scanty resources, to a spare and frugal diet. 

13 — 22. 13. Si pranderet olus patienter, &c. "If he could dine con- 
tentedly on herbs, Aristippus would not feel inclined to seek the society 
of kings." Horace, after laying it down as a maxim that every one 
ought to live according to his taste and liking, suddenly introduces Dio- 
genes, the well-known founder of the Cynic sect, opposing this decision, 
and condemning every species of indulgence. — 14. Si sciret regibus uti, 
&c. The reply of Aristippus. — 15. Qui me notat. "He who censures 
my conduct." Alluding to Diogenes. — 18. Mm-dacem Cynicum sic elude- 
bat. " He thus baffled the snarling Cynic." i. e. He thus avoided the 
Cynic's tooth. — 19. Scurra ego ipse mihi, populo tu. "I play the buffoon 
for my own advantage, thou to please the populace." Aristippus, ob- 
serves Sanadon, does not in fact acknowledge he was a buffoon, but ra- 
ther makes use of the term to insult Diogenes, and dexterously puts 
other words of more civil import in the place of it, when he again speaks 
of himself. (Officium facio.) My buffoonery, says he, if it deserve the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EOOK I. EPISTLE XVII. 57& 

name, procures me profit and honour; thine leaves thee in meanness, 
indigence, filth, and contempt. My dependance is on kings, to whom we 
are born in subjection : thou art a slave to the people, whom a wise man 
should despise. —Hoc. "This line of conduct that I pursue." — 21. Offi- 
cium facio. " I do but my duty." Aristippus, remarks Dacier, pays his 
court to Dionysius without making any request. Diogenes, on the other 
hand, asks even the vilest of things {villa re.rum) from the vilest of people. 
He would excuse himself by saying, that he asks, only because what he 
asks is of little value ; but if the person who receives an obligation is in- 
ferior at that time to the person who bestows it, he is inferior in proportion 
to the meanness of the favour he receives. — 22. Quamvis fers te nullius 
egentem. " Though thou pretendest to be in want of nothing." 

23 — 25. 23. Omnis Aristippum demit color, &c. " Every complexion, 
and situation, and circumstance of life suited Aristippus." Aristippus 
possessed a versatility of disposition, and politeness of manners, which, 
while they enabled him to accommodate himself to every situation, emi- 
nently qualified him for the easy gaiety of a court. Perfectly free from 
the reserve and haughtiness of the preceptorial chair, he ridiculed the 
singularities which were affected by other philosophers, particularly the 
stately gravity of Plato, and the rigid abstinence of Diogenes. — 24. 
Tentantem majora, ftre prazsentibus cequum. "Aspiring to greater things, 
yet in his general conduct equal to the present," i. e. losing no opportu- 
nity to better his fortune, but still easy in his present situation. — 25. 
Contra, quern duplici panno, &c. " On the other hand, I shall be much 
surprised, if an opposite mode of life should prove becoming to him, 
whom obstinacy clothes with a thick, coarse mantle." Literally, 
" with a double piece of cloth," i. e. with a mantle as thick as two; a 
coarse, heavy gown, in opposition to the purpureus amictus mentioned 
immediately after. The allusion is here to Diogenes. 

27—32. 27. Alter. Alluding to Aristippus.— Non expedabit. "Will 
not wait for." — 2S. Celeberrima per loca. "Through the most unfre- 
quented places." — 29. Personamque feret non inconcinnus utramque. 
"And will support either character without the least admixture of awk- 
wardness," i. e. will acquit himself equally well, whether he appears in 
a fine or a coarse garment, in a costly or a mean one. — 30. Alter Mileti 
textam, &c. " The other will shun a cloak wrought, at Miletus, as some- 
thing moi - e dreadful than a rabid dog or a snake." Miletus, an Ionian 
city, on the western coast of Asia Minor, was famed for the excellence 
of its woollen manufactures. — 31. Morietur frigore, si non retideris pan- 
num. " He will die with cold, if one does not restore him his coarse 
cloak," i. e. he will rather perish with cold, than appear in any other 
but his coarse cloak. Compare the story related by the scholiast: 
" Munt Jlristippum, invitato Diogene ad balneas, dedisse operam, ut omnes 
prius egrederentur, ipsiusque pallium induisse, illique purpurenm reliquisse, 
quod Diogenes cum induere noluisset, suum repetiit : tunc Aristippus incre- 
puit Cynicum, famce servientem, qui algere mallet quam conspici in veste 
purpurea." — 32. Refer, el sine vivat ineptus. " Restore it, and let the 
fool live." 

33 — 36. 33. Res gerere et captos ostendere civibus hostes, &c. "To 
perform exploits, and to show the citizens their foes led captive, reaches 
the throne of Jove and aspires to celestial honours," i. e. is mounting 
up to the throne of Jupiter, and treading the paths of immortality. The 



576 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XVII. 

expression captos ostendere civibus hastes alludes to the solemnity of a 
Roman triumph. Horace continues his argument, to prove that an ac- 
tive life, the life of a man who aims at acquiring the favour of the great, 
is preferable to the indolent life of those who renounce all commerce 
with the world, and are actuated by no ambition. His reasoning is 
this : Princes who gain great victories, and triumph over their enemies, 
almost equal the gods, and acquire immortal renown: in like manner, 
they whose merit recommends them to the favour of these true images 
of the deity, are by this raised above the rest of their species. The poet 
here both makes his court to Augustus, and defends the part he had 
himself chosen ; for, in the first satire of the second book, he tells us, 
that envy itself must own he had lived in reputation with the great.— 
35. Principibus viris. " The Great." Principibus is here used in a 
more extensive signification than ordinary, and indicates the great, the 
powerful, the noble, &c. — 36. JVon cuivis homini contingit adire Corin- 
thum. A proverbial form of expression, and said of things that are ar- 
duous and perilous, and which it is not the fortune of every one to sur- 
mount. Horace, by using this adage, intends to show, that all people 
have not talents proper for succeeding in a court, while he seeks at the 
same time to raise the glory of those, who have courage to attempt and 
address to conquer the difficulties there. 

37 — 40. 37. Sedit qui timult, &.c. The idea intended to be conveyed 
is this: The man that doubts of success, sits still, and so far is well. 
Be it so. What then ? He who has carried his point, has he not acted 
with the spirit of a man? Now, the things that we seek after are to be 
obtained by the exercise of moral courage and resolution, or noi at all. 
This man dreads the burthen, as too great either for his strength or cou- 
rage. Another attempts it, and happily succeeds, &c. In this way Ho- 
race seeks to impress upon Scaevathe importance of zealous and untir- 
ing effort in conciliating the favour of the great. — 42. Jiut dectis et preti- 
wn recte petit experiens vir. " Or he who makes the attempt deservedly 
claims the honour and the reward." If there be difficulty or danger, he 
certainly deserves the highest praise, who tries to succeed : and if virtue 
be any thing more than a mere idle name, he may with justice claim a re- 
ward" proportional to his merit. — 43. Coram rege suo, &c. "They, 
who say nothing about narrow means in the presence of their patron, 
will receive more than the importunate." — 44 Distat, sumasne pudenter, 
an rttpias. " There is a difference, whether one take with modesty what 
is offered, or eagerly snatch at it." — 45. Jltqui rerum caput hce erat, hie 
fans. " For this is the capital point, this is the source of all." The im- 

fierfect, as here employed, does not accord with the usage of our own 
anguage, and must therefore be rendered by the present. In the original, 
however, it gives a very pleasing air to the clause, as marking a continu- 
ance of action in the two particular cases to which he refers. The poet 
intends to convey the following idea: The man who wishes to obtain a 
favour at the hands of the great and powerful, should, above all things, 
display a modest deportment, and one farremovedfromimportunate so- 
licitation. — 46. Indotata mihi soror est, &c. " The man who tells his 
patron ' My sister has no portion, my mother is in straitened circum- 
stances, and my farm is neither saleable nor to be relied upon for my 
support,' cries out, in effect, ' Give me food.' " — 48. Succinit alter, Et 
mihi dividuo, &c. " Another responds, ' A quarter shall be cut out for 
me too from the divided gift.' " An imitation of the cry of mendicants 
in asking charity. Quadra is properly a piece of bread or cake cut in 
the form of a quarter. — 40. Sed tacitv* pasci si posset corvus, &c 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE X. 557 

3. Pane gemelli. " Almost twins." Compare Serm. 1. 3. 44. — i. Et 
alter. Supply negat. — 5. Jlnnuimus pariter vetuli notique columbi. "We 
nod assent to each other, like old and constant doves." Supply veluti, 
or sicuti, and compare the explanatory remark of Doring : " Si alter ait, 
alter quoque alt, alter alteri in omni re pari modo annuit." — Noti. Alluding 
literally to long acquaintance, and to constancy of attachment resulting 
therefrom. — 6. Nidum. The comparison is still kept up, and the city 
to which Fuscus clings, and in which all his desires appear to centre, is 
beautifully styled the nest, which he is said to keep, while the poet 
roams abroad. — 7. Musco circumlila saxa. " The moss-grown rocks." 
— 8. Quid quxris ? " In a word." Literally, " what wouldst thou have 
me say?" This was a form of expression used when they wanted, in 
few words, to give a reason for, or an explanation of, any thing, and 
answers somewhat to our phrase " what can I say more?" — 9. Rumore 
secundo. " With favouring acclaim." — 10. Utque sacerdotis fugitivus, 
&c. " And, like a priest's runaway slave, I reject the sweet wafers ; 1 
want plain bread, which is more agreeable to me now than honied 
cheese-cakes." By liba are meant a kind of consecrated cake or wafer, 
made of flour, honey, and oil, which were offered up, during the per- 
formance of sacred rites, to Bacchus (Ovid. Fast. 3. 735.), Ceres, Pan, 
and other deities. They became the perquisite of the priests, and their 
number was so great, that the latter gave them, as an article of food, to 
their slaves. The placenta were cheese-cakes, composed of fine wheat- 
flour, cheese, honey, &c. Compare Cato, R. R. 76. — The idea intended 
to be conveyed by this passage is this : As the priest's slave, who is tired 
of living on'the delicacies offered to his master's god, runs away from his 
service, that he may get a little common bread, so the poet would re- 
treat from the false taste and the cloying pleasures of the city, to the 
simple and natural enjoyments of the country. 

12 — 17. 12. Vivere natures, si convenienter oportet, &c. "If we ought 
to live conformably to nature, and if a spot of ground is to be sought 
after, in the first place, for a dwelling to be erected upon it," i. e. if we 
would lead an easy life, and one agreeable to nature, and if, for this end, 
we make it our first care to find out some fit place whereon to build us a 
house. — The poet begins here the first part of his epistle, and assigns, 
as the first reason for his preferring the country to the city, that we'ean 
live there more conformably to the laws of nature, and with greater ease 
provide whatever she demands, or disengage ourselves from the desire of 
what she does not really want. — 14. Poliorem rure beato. " Preferable to 
the blissful country." — 15. Est ubi plus tepeant hiemes ? " Is there a spot 
where the winters are milder." — 16. Rabiem Canis. Consult note on 
Ode 1. 17. 17. — Momenta Leonis. " The season of the Lion." Allud- 
ing to the period when the sun is in the sign of Leo, (part of July and 
August), and to the heat which marks that portion of the year. — 17. So- 
lem acutum. " The scorching sun." 

18 — 25. 18. Divellat. "Interrupts." — 19. Deterius Libycis olet, &c. 
" Is the grass inferior in smell or beauty to the tesselated pavements of 
Numidian marble ?" By Lybici lapilli are here literally meant, small 
square pieces of Numidian marble forming tesselated or mosaic pave- 
ments. The idea intended to be conveyed by the question of the bard 
is strikingly beautiful. Can the splendid pavement, with all its varied 
hues, compare for a moment with the verdant turf, or the enamel of the 
fields. Does it send forth, like the wild-flower, a sweet perfume on the 
- a;r ? — 20. In vicis tendit rumpere plumbum. " Strive to burst the lead ha 



578 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XVIII. 

devisor ledi has been much misunderstood. In order to comprehend its 
true meaning, we must bear in mind that the buffoons or jesters at a Ro- 
man entertainment, were placed on the lowest couch along with the en- 
tertainer, (consult note on Sat. 2. 8. 40.) and hence derisor imilecti does 
not by any means imply, as some suppose, a rallier of those who recline 
on the lowest couch, but is merely intended as a general designation for 
the buffoon or jester of the party. Horace advances a general proposi- 
tion, and, to make flatterers appear the more odious, he says very judi- 
ciously, that, in pushing their complaisance too far, they degenerate into 
mere buffoons. — 11. Sic nutum divitis horret. " Is so fearfully attentive 
to every nod of his patron." — 14. Reddere. Equivalent to recitare. As 
regards the term Dictata, consult note on Sat. 1. 10.75. — Mimum. "A 
mime-player." Consult note on Sat. 1. 10. 6. 

15 — 20. 15. Jllter rixatur de lana scepe caprina. " The other often 
wrangles about things of no consequence whatever." Jllter here refers 
to the man of rude and blunt manners. The expression de lana caprina 
rixari is a proverbial one, and is well explained by the scholiast : " De 
lana caprina : proverbium, h. e. de re vili et pane nulla; de hihila, quiaca- 
proz nulla est lana, sedpili.' 1 '' — 16. Propugnat nugis armatus. " Armed with 
trifles, stands forth a ready champion," i. e. armed with mere trifles and 
nonsense, he combats every thing that is advanced. — Scilicet. " For 
example." The poet now gives a specimen of that zealous contention 
for trifles which marks the character that is here condemned. — 17. Et vere 
quod placet ut non acriter elalrem. " And that I should not boldly speak 
aloud what are my real sentiments." — 18. Pretium alas altera sordet. 
"Another life is worthless, when purchased at such a price," i. e. I would 
reject with scorn another life upon such base conditions. — 19. Jlmbigitur 
quid enim ? " And pray what mighty matter is in dispute ? Why, 
whether Castor or Dolichos knows more of Ins profession," i. e. whether 
Castor or Dolichos be the more expert gladiator. Compare the scholiast : 
" Castor et Dolichos erant illius tempm-is nobiles gladiator es." — 20. Minuci 
via. Compare the scholiast : " Minucia via est a porta Minucia,sive Tri- 
gemina, per Sabinos ad Brundisium. 

21 — 26. 21. Q.uem damnosa Venus, quern prozceps aleanudat. "The 
man whom ruinous licentiousness, whom the dice, fraught with rapid 
destruction, strips of what he has." The poet now enters upon an enu- 
meration of those vices, from which he who seeks the favour of the great 
and powerful should be free. — 24. Paupertatis pudor etfuga. "A shame of, 
and aversion for narrow means," i. e. a dread of narrow means, and an 
anxious care to avoid them. — 25. Scepe decern vitiis instruction: " Though 
not unfrequently ten times more vicious." Equivalent in effect to scepe 
decies vitiosim: This precept is of great importance, observes Sanadon. 
A prince or powerful person, however vicious himself, pays a secret ho- 
mage to virtue, and treats with just contempt those faults in others, which 
render him really contemptible. He requires a regularity of conduct, 
which he breaks by his own example, as if he proposed to conceal his 
vices under their virtues. — 26. Regit. " Gives him rules for his conduct." 
— Ji'c, veluti pia mater, &c. The idea intended to be conveyed is this : 
And, as an affectionate mother wishes that her offspring may be wiser 
and better than herself, so the patron wishes that his dependant may be 
wiser and more virtuous than he is. 

28 — 35. 23. Et ait probe vera: "And he says truly enough." — Mea 
stultitiam patiuntur opes, &c. " My riches allow some indulgence in 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. -BOOK I. ET-ISTLE XTIH. 579 

folly." A pleasant way of reasoning indeed, as if power and wealth 
gave a man a privilege to be weak and wicked without control. As ridi- 
culous, however, as this reasoning appears, the poet tells us, and tells us 
correctly, that it is, in one sense, true enough. The follies and vices of 
the rich and poor are equal in themselves, yet they are very unequal in 
their consequences. The former are better able to support them without 
ruining themselves and families, whereas, when a man of but moderate 
fortune indulges in such a line of conduct, ruin both to him and his is 
sure to ensue. — 30. Arcta decet sanum comitem toga. " A scanty gown 
becomes a prudent dependant." Comes is here employed to designate a 
man who attaches himself to some rich and powerful patron. The pre- 
cept laid down is a general one, and does not merely apply to dress, but 
extends, in fact, to buildings, table, equipage, &c. — 31. Eutrapelus, cuicun- 
que nocere volebat, &c. To the praise which the rich man has just be- 
stowed upon his wealth, as forming a kind of shield for his follies, the 
poet, to show his contempt of riches, immediately subjoins the story of 
Eutrapelus, who was accustomed to bestow, on those he wished to injure, 
costly and magnificent garments, that by these allurements they might 
be gradually led away into habits of luxury and corruption. The indi- 
vidual here referred to had the appellation of Eutrapelus (tvTpdxtXoq) "the 
rallier," given him for his wit and pleasantry. His real name was P. 
Volumnius. Having forgotten to put his surname of Eutrapelus to a 
letter he wrote to Cicero, the orator tells him, he fancied it came from 
Volumnius the senator, but was undeceived by the Eutrapelia (evTpaire\ia), 
the spirit and vivacity which it displayed. — 32. Beatus enim jam, &c. 
"For now, (said he,) a happy fellow in his own eyes," &c. Supply, for a 
literal translation, dixit Eutrapelus. — 35. Nummos alienos pascet. "He 
will feed on other men's money," i. e. he will borrow money, and squan- 
der it away in luxurious and riotous living. — Threx erit. "He will turn 
gladiator." Consult note on Sat. 2. 6. 44. — Aut olitoris aget mercede cabal- 
lum. " Or he will drive a gardener's horse for hire." 

37 — 41. 37. Arcanum neque tu scrutaberis, &c. "Thou wilt not at 
any time pry into a secret of his, and wilt keep close what is entrusted to 
thee, though tried by wine and by anger," i. e. and wilt let nothing be 
forced out of thee either by wine or by anger. — Illius. Referring to the 
wealthy patron. — 39. Tua studia. " Thine own diversions."— 41. Gra- 
tia sic fratrum geminorum, &c. "Thus the friendship of the twin-bro- 
thers Amphion and Zethus was broken, until the lyre, disliked by the 
latter, who was rugged in manners, became silent." Amphion and Ze- 
thus were sons of Jupiter and Antiope, and remarkable for their different 
tempers. Amphion -was fond of music., and Zethus took delight in tend- 
ing flocks. But as Zethus was naturally of a rugged disposition (com- 
pare Propertius, 3. 15. 20. and Statins, Theb. 10. 443) and hated the lyre, 
this produced continual disputes between them, until Amphion at length, 
for the sake of harmony with his brother, renounced music entirely. 

46 — 57. 46. Mtolis plagis. The epithet Altolis is here merely orna- 
mental, and contains an allusion to the famous boar-hunt near Calydon, 
in iEtolia, on which occasion Meleager so greatly distinguished himself. — 
47. Etinhumanac senium depone Camenaz. "And lay aside the peevish- 
ness of the unsocial muse," i. e. lay aside the peevish and morose habits 
which are superinduced by unsocial and secluded studies. — Senium pro- 
perly denotes the peevishness of age, though taken here in a general sense. 
— 48. Pariter. " Along with him." — Pulmenta laboribus emta. " On the 
delicious fare purchased by vour labours." As regards the term pidmenta, 
52 



5S0 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XVlIU 

consult note on Sat. 2. 2. 20. — 49. Opus. Alluding to the hunt.— 52. Aide, 
virilia quod speciosius arma, &c. The order of construction is as follows : 
Adde, quod nun est alius qui tractet virilia arma speciosius te. The term spe- 
ciosius may be rendered "more gracefully," and has reference in some de- 
gree to the public exhibition made of one's skill. — 53. Qmo clamore cororue. 
"With what acclamations from the surrounding spectators." — 54. Cam- 
pestria. "In the Campus Martius." — 56. Duce. Alluding to Augustus. 
— Qui templis Parthorum signa refigit nunc. " Who is now taking down 
the Roman standards from the temples of the Parthians." Consult note 
on Ode, 4. 15. 6. and 1. 26. 3. and also Introductory Remarks, Ode 3. 5. 
According to Bentley, this epistle was written at the time when Phraates 
restored the Roman standards, Augustus being in Bithynia, Tiberius in 
Armenia, and the consulship being filled by M. Appuleius and P. Silius 
Nerva. Horace would then be entering his 46th year. — 57. Et si quid 
abest, Italis adjudicat amis. "And, if any thing is wanting to universal 
empire, adds it to the Romans by the power of his arms." Bentley thinks 
that Horace here alludes to the subjugation of Armenia, the same year in 
which the Parthians restored the Roman standards. 

58 — 65. 58. Ac ne te retrahas, et inexcusabilis abstes. "And that thou 
mayest not withdraw thyself from such diversions, and stand aloof without 
the least excuse." The train of ideas is as follows: And that thou may- 
est not suffer thyself to be kept away from hunting with a powerful friend, 
nor be induced by some pretence, which can never excuse thee, to absent 
thyself on such occasions from his presence, recollect, I entreat, that thou 
thyself, though careful to observe all the rules and measures of a just beha- 
viour, yet sometimes dost indulge in amusing sports on thy paternal estate. 
— 59. Extra numerum modumque. "Out of number and measure," i. e.in 
violation of the rules and measures of a just behaviour. Numerus and 
modus are properly metrical terms, the former denoting the rhythm, the 
latter indicating the component feet, of a verse. They are here figura- 
tively applied to the harmony of behaviour and social intercourse which 
the poet is anxious to inculcate. — 61. Partitur lintres exercitus. "Mock 
forces divide the little boats into two squadrons." The young Lollius was 
accustomed to celebrate the victory at Actium, by a mock conflict on a 
lake in his paternal grounds. — 62. Per pueros. The mock forces are 
composed of "boys," not of "slaves," as some incorrectly render the 
term. — Referlur. " Is represented." — 63. Lacus Hadria. "A lake serves 
for the Adriatic." — 64. Fronde. Alluding to the laurel. — 65. Consentire 
suis studiis qui crediderit te, &c. " He, who shall believe that thou dost 
come into his particular taste, will as an applauder praise thine own with- 
out the least scruple." Literally, " with both his thumbs." The allusion 
in utroque pollice is borrowed from the gladiatorial sports. When a gladia- 
tor lowered his arms, as a sign of being vanquished, his fate depended on 
the pleasure of the people, who, if they wished him to be saved, pressed 
down their thumbs, (pollices premebant,) and if to be slain, turned them 
up, (pollices vertebant.) Hence pollices premere, " to favour," to " approve," 
&c. the populace only extended this indulgence to such gladiators as had 
conducted themselves bravely. 

67 — 82. 67. Protinus ut moneam. " To proceed still farther in my 
admonitions." — 72. Jecur. The liver was regarded as the seat of the 
passions. — 75. Munere te parvo beat. " Gratify thee by the trifling pre- 
sent," i. e. lay thee under obligations by so trifling a present. — Aid in 
commodus angat. " Or torment thee by not complying with thy wish." 
"-76. Etiamalqueetiamadspice. " Consider again a'nd again." — 77. Alt- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XVIII. 581 

ena peccata. " Another's faults," i. e. the failings of the person recom- 
mended. — 78. Quondam. "Sometimes." — Tradimus. "We recom- 
mend." — 79. Sua culpa. "His own misconduct." — Tueri. Supply eum. 
— 80. M penitus notum, Sac. Bentley's conjectural emendation, M, is 
decidedly preferable to the common reading, Ut. The advice given by 
the poet is as follows : Do not, after being once deceived, defend one 
who suffers by his own bad conduct : but shield from unjust reproach 
him whom thou knowest thoroughly, and protect an innocent man who 
puts all his confidence in thee : for if he be assailed with impunity by 
the tooth of slander, hast thou not reason to dread lest this may next be 
thy fate ? — Si tentent crimina. " If false accusations assail him." — 82. 
Dente Theonino. In place of saying " withthe tooth of calumny," Ho- 
race uses the expression, "with the tooth of Theon." This individual 
appears to have been noted for his slanderous propensities, whether he 
was a freedman, as the scholiast informs us, or, as is much more proba- 
ble, some obscure poet of the day. 

86 — 95. 86. Dulcis inexpertis cullura potentis amici. " To cultivate 
the friendship of the Great seems delightful to those who have never 
made the trial." The pomp and splendour by which great men are sur- 
rounded, makes us apt to think their friendship valuable ; but a little ex- 
perience soon convinces us that it is a most rigorous slavery. — 87. Dum 
tua navis in alto est. " While thy vessel is on the deep," i. e. while thou 
art enjoying the favour and friendship of the Great. — 88. — Hoc age, ne 
mutata retrorsum, &c. " Look to this, lest the breeze may change, and 
bear thee back again," i. e. lest the favour of the Great may be with- 
drawn. — 89. Oderunt hilarem tristes, &c. The idea intended to be convey- 
ed is this : Men of unlike tempers and characters never harmonise ; do 
thou therefore accommodate thyself to thy patron's mode of thinking and 
acting, study well his character, and do all in thy power to please. — 90. 
Sedatum celeres. "Men of active minds hate him that is of a dilatory 
temper." — 93. Noclumos vapores. The reference is to the " heats" un- 
der which those labour, in sleep, who have indulged freely in wine. — 94. 
D erne super cilio nubem. "Remove every cloud from thy brow," i.e. 
smooth thy forehead. The ancients called those wrinkles which ap- 
pear upon the forehead, above the eye-brows, when any thing displeases 
us, Clouds. For as clouds obscure the face of heaven, so wrinkles ob- 
scure the forehead, and cause an appearance of sadness. — Plerumque. 
" Oftentimes." — 95. Occupat obscuri speciem. " Wears the appearance 
of one that is reserved and close." — Acerbi. " Of one that is morose." 

96 — 103. 96. Inter cuncta. " Above all." Equivalent to prcecipue 
or ante omnia. The epistle concludes with some excellent moral max- 
ims and reflections. Horace, after giving Lollius precepts respecting 
the mode of life which he is to pursue with the great, lays down also 
some rules for his conduct towards himself. He endeavours chiefly to 
make him sensible, that happiness does not consist in the favour of princes, 
but must be the fruit of our own reflection and care, and a steady purpose 
of keeping our passions within the bounds of moderation. — 97. Leniter. 
" In tranquillity." — 98. Semper inops. " That can never be satiated." — 
99. Pavor. " Troublesome agitation of mind." — 100. Virtutem doctrina 
paret nalurane donet. " Whether instruction procures virtue, or nature 
bestows it," i. e. whether virtue is the result of precept or the gift of na- 
ture. Horace here alludes to the question, el SiZolktov f/ dpsn'/, discussed 
by Socrates, and considered at large by JEschines, Socrat. Dial. 1. and- 



5S2 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK I. EPISTLE XIX. 

by Plato, in his Menon. — 101. Quid te tibi reddal amicum. " What may 
make thee a friend to thyself," i. e. what may give rise to such habits of 
thinking and of acting, as may make thee pleased with thyself. Com- 
pare Epist. 1. 14. 1. where Horace speaks of his farm as capable of re- 
storing him to himself. — 102. Quid pure tranquillet. "What may be- 
stow pure and unalloyed tranquillity." — 103. Secretum iter, etfallentis se- 
mita vitce. "A retired route, and the path of an humble life," i. e. of a 
life that passes unnoticed by the world. Fallentis is here equivalent to 
oculos homi-ium Mentis. It is not the poet's design to create in Lollius a 
disgust of his present way of life, or make him quit the court to enjoy 
retirement. This would have been imprudent and unfair, and contrary 
also to his own sentiments of things. His true aim is, to persuade him, 
that, if happiness is to be found only in peaceful retirement, this ought 
to be his study, even in the exercise of his employment. In this way 
he tacitly advises him to moderate his ambition and avarice ; because, 
in a retired life, riches and honours, are rather a troublesome burthen, 
than any needful help. 

104: — 111. 104. Digentia. The Digentia, now the Licenza, was a 
stream formed by the Fons Bandusia, and running near the poet's abode 
through the territory of Mandela, a small Sabine village in the vicinity. 
— 105. Rugosiis frigore pagus. " A village wrinkled with cold." The 
consequence of its mountainous situation. — 106. Quid sentire putas ? 
quid credis amice precari ? With sentire and precari, respectively, supply 
me.< — 107. Sit mihi, quod nunc est ; eliam minus : We have here a fine 
picture of the manner in which Horace sought for tranquillity. He was 
so far from desiring more, that he could be even satisfied with less. He 
wanted to live for himself, cultivate his mind, and be freed from uncer- 
tainty. — 109. Et provisos frugis in annum. " And of the productions 
of the earth laid up for the year," i. e. and of provisions for a year. — 
110. Neu jluitem dubice spe pendulus horce. " And let me not fluctuate 
in suspense as regards the hope of each uncertain hour," i. e. and let 
me not fluctuate between hope and fear, filled with anxious thoughts as 
regards the uncertain events of the future. — 111. Sed satis est orareJo- 
vem, quce donat et aufert, &c Horace distinguishes between the things 
we ought to hope for from the gods, and those we are to expect only 
from ourselves. Life and riches depend, according to the poet, upon the 
pleasure of Jove, but an equal mind upon our own exertions. 



Epistle 19. This epistle is a satire on the poets of our author's 
time, who, under pretence that Bacchus was a god of poetry, and that 
the best ancient bards loved wine, imagined that by equalling them in 
this particular they equalled them in merit. Horace laughs at such ri- 
diculous imitation. 

1 — 7. 1. Prisco Cratino. For some account of Cratinus, consult 
the note on Satire 1. 4. 1. — 2. Nulla placere diu nee vivere carmina 
vossunt, &c. This was probably one of Cratinus's verses, which 
Horace has translated. — 3. Ut male sanos adscripsit Liber, &c. " Ever 
since Bacchus ranked bards, seized with true poetic fury, among his 
Fauns and Satyrs, the sweet Muses have usually smelt of wine in the 
morning," i. e. ever since genuine poets existed, they have, scarcely 
with a single exception, manifested an attachment to the juice of the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPISTLE XIX. 583 

grape. "With respect to the ranking of poets among Fauns and Satyrs, 
it may be observed, that the wild dances and gambols of these frolic 
beings were regarded as bearing no unapt resemblance to the enthusi- 
asm of the children of song. — 6. Laudibus arguitur vini vinosus Homerus. 
" From his praises of wine, Homer is convicted of having been attached 
to that liquor." Compare II. 6. 261. Od. 14. 463. seqq. — 7. Ennius pater. 
The term pater is here a-pplied to Ennius as one of the earliest of the 
Roman bards. — Potus. " Mellow with wine." — Ad arma dicenda. An 
allusion to the poem of Ennius on the second Punic war, in which the 
praises of the elder Africanus were celebrated. 

8 — 10. 8. Forum putealque Libonis, &c. "The Forum and the puteal 
of Libo I will give over to the temperate ; from the abstemious I will 
take away the power of song." The Forum was the great scene of 
Roman litigation, and the puteal Libonis the place where the usurers and 
bankers were accustomed to meet. When the Forum, and the puteal 
of Libo, therefore, are consigned to the temperate, the meaning is, that 
to their lot are to fall the cares and the anxieties of life, the vexations of 
the law, and the disquieting pursuits of gain. Consult, as regards the 
term puteal, the note on Sat. 2. 6. 35. — 10. Hoc simul edhd. Torrentius 
first perceived, that the words which have just preceded (Forum puteal- 
que Libonis, &c.) could not be spoken either by Cratinus or by Ennius, 
who were both dead long before Libo was born ; nor by Bacchus, who 
surely would not have waited so long to publish a decree, which the 
usage of so many poets had already established ; nor by Maecenas, un- 
less we read edixti and palleres, contrary to all the manuscripts. We 
must therefore consider Horace himself as giving forth his edict in the 
style and tone of a Roman praetor. — Non cessavere poetce, nocturno certare 
mero, &c. Horace here laughs at the folly of those, who imagined that 
by indulging freely in wine they would be enabled to sustain the cha- 
racter of poets. 

12 — 15. 12. Quid? si quis vultu torvo ferus, &c. The idea intended 
to be conveyed is this : a person might just as soon think of attaining 
to the high reputation of Cato Uticensis, by aping the peculiarities of 
dress and appearance which characterized that remarkable man, as of 
becoming a poet by the mere quaffing of wine.— 15. Rupil Iarbitam Ti- 
magenis ozmula lingua. " The emulous tongue of Timagenes caused 
iarbita to burst, while he desires to be thought a man of wit, and to be 
regarded as eloquent." Timagenes was a rhetorician of Alexandrea, 
who, being taken captive by Gabinius, was brought to Rome, where 
Faustus, the son of Sylla, purchased him. He afterwards obtained his 
freedom, and was honoured with the favour of Augustus, but as he was 
much given to raillery, and observed no measure with any person, he 
soon lost the good graces of his patron, and, being compelled to retire 
from Rome, ended his days at Tusculum. It would appear, from the ex- 
pression mnula lingua, that the wit and the declamatory powers of Tima- 
genes carried with them more or less of mimicry and imitation. On the 
other hand, Iarbita was a native of Africa, whose true name was Cor- 
dus, but whom the poet pleasantly styles Iarbita (" the descendant of 
Iarbas," i. e. the Moor) from larbas, king of Mauretania, the fabled ri- 
val of jEneas, and perhaps with some satirical allusion to the history of 
that king. Now the meaning of Horace is this ; that Iarbita burst" by 
imitating Timagenes in what least deserved imitation ; for he imitated 
what was ill about Timagenes, not what was good. He copied his 
personal sarcasm, and, in endeavouring to equal his powers of declama- 



684 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK I. EPJSTI.E XIX. 

tion also, he confounded them with mere strength of lungs, and spoke 
bo loud ut rumperet ilia. Hence, both in relation to this case, as well as 
to those which have preceded it, the poet adds the remark, Decipit ex- 
emplar vitiis imitabile. "An example, easy to be imitated in its faults, 
is sure to deceive the ignorant." 

18 — 31. 18. Exsangue cuminum. "The pale-making cumin." Dios- 
corides assures us, that cumin will make people pale who drink it or 
wash themselves with it. Pliny says it was reported that the disciples 
of Porcius Latro, a famous master of the art of speaking, used it to imi- 
tate that paleness which he had contracted by his studies. — 19. Ut scepe. 
For quam scepe. — 21. Per vacuum. "Along a hitherto untravelled 
route." Compare Ode 3. 30. 13. " Dicar princeps JEolium car- 
men ad Italos deduxisse modos." — 22. Non aliena meo pressi pede. Supply 
vestigia. "I trod not in the footsteps of others." — 23. Parios iambos. 
" The Parian iambics," i. e. the iambics of Archilochus, who was a 
native of Paros, and the inventor of this species of verse. — 24. Numeros 
animosque secutus Archilochi, &.c. " Having imitated the numbers and 
spirit of Archilochus ; not, however, his subjects, and his language that 
drove Lycambes to despair." Consult note on Epode 6. 13. — 26. Foliis 
brevioribus. "With more fading bays." Literally, "with leaves of 
shorter duration." Horace, in this passage, means to convey the idea, 
that his imitation of Archilochus ought not to be regarded as detracting 
from his own fame, since both Sappho and Alcaeus made the same poet 
the model of their respective imitation. — 28. Temperat Archilochi musam, 
&c. " The masculine and vigorous Sappho tempers her own effusions 
by the numbers of Archilochus ; Alcaeus tempers his." Temperat is 
here equivalent to moderantur et componunt, and the idea intended to be 
conveyed is, that both Sappho and Alcseus blend in some degree the 
measures of Archilochus with their own ; or, as Bentley expresses it : 
" Scias utrumque Jlrchilocheos numeros sxris Lyricis immiscere." Sappho 
is styled mascula from the force and spirit of her poetry. — 29. Sed rebus 
et ordine dispar. " But he differs from him in his subjects, and in the 
arrangement of his measures." Alcaeus employed, it is true, some of 
the measures used by Archilochus, but then he differed from him in ar- 
ranging them with other kinds of verse. Compare the language of 
Bentley : " Adscivit Alcceus metra qucedam Jlrchilochi, sed ordine variavit, 
sed aliis ac ille fecerat metris aptavit ea et connexuit, ut dactylicum illud, 
Arboribusque comae, cum Hexametro junxit Mcczus, at eundem Iambo co- 
mitem dedit Archilochus." — 30. Nee socerum quwrit, &c. Alluding to the 
story of Archilochus and Lycambes. Compare Epode 6. 13. — 31. Fa- 
moso carmine. "By defamatory strains." The allusion in the term 
sponsaz is to Neobule, the daughter of Lycambes. 

32, 33. Hunc ego, non alio dictum prius ore, &c. "This poet, never ce- 
lebrated by any previous tongue, I the Roman lyrist first made known to 
my countrymen," i. e. I alone, of all our bards, have dared to make this 
Alcasus known to Roman ears, and my reward has been that I am the 
first in order among the lyric poets of my country. As regards the boast 
here uttered by the poet, compare Ode 4. 9. 3. seqq. and, with respect to 
the expression Latinus fidicen, compare Ode 4. 3. 23. " Romance fidicen 
lyroz." — 33. Immemorata. " A new species of poetry." Literally, " pro- 
ductions unmentioned before," i. e. by any Latin bard. The reference is 
to lyric verse. It is deserving of remark, however, that although Horace 
did not imitate Sappho less than Archilochus and Alcaeus, yet he does 
not say he was the first of the Romans who imitated her, because Catul- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I. EPISTLE XX. S8S 

lus, and some other Latin poets, had written Sapphic verses before 
him. 

35 — 41. 35. Ingratus. " Ungrateful," for not acknowledging in pub 
lie the pleasure which the reading of our poet's works gave him in pri- 
vate. — 36. Premat. "Decries them." Doring supposes an ellipsis of 
invidia, or else that premat is here equivalent simply to conlemnat. — 37. 
JVoji ego ventosez plebis suffragia venor, &c. As regards the epithet ven- 
tosce, consult note on Epist. 1. 8. 12. Horace ridicules, with great plea- 
santry, the foolish vanity of certain poets, his contemporaries, who, to 
gain the applause of the populace, courted them with entertainments and 
presents of cast-off clothing. Suffiragia is here equivalent to gratiam or 
favorem. — 39. Non ego, nobilium auciorum auditor et ultor, &c. " I do 
not deign, as the auditor and defender of noble writers, to go around 
among the tribes and stages of the Grammarians." It was customary 
about this period, at Rome, for many who aspired to the reputation of 
superior learning, to open, as it were, a kind of school or auditory, in 
which the productions of living writers were read by their authors, and 
then criticised. Horace styles this class of persons Grammatici, and in- 
forms us that he never designed to approach such hot-beds of conceit, 
either for the purpose of listening to these distinguished effusions, or of 
defending them from the attacks of criticism, and hence the odium which 
he incurred among these impudent pretenders to literary merit. It is 
evident that nobilium is here ironical. — Ultor. Compare the explanation 
of Doring: "Ultor, qui aliquem a reprehensione, enminatione v el injuria 
aliqua defendit, is ejus est quasi ultor, vindex, patronus. 1 ' 1 — 40. Pidpita. 
The stages from which the recitations above referred to were made. — 41. 
Hinc ilia lacrimce. A proverbial expression, borrowed from the Andria 
of Terence, 1. I. 91. and there used in its natural meaning, but to be 
rendered here in accordance with the spirit of the present passage : 
" Hence all this spite and malice." 

42 — 43. 42. Et nugis adder e pondus. "And to give an air of impor- 
tance to trifles." — 43. Rides, ait. " Thou art laugliing at us, says one 
of these same grammarians." — Jovis. Referring to Augustus. — 44. Ma- 
nure. This verb is here construed with the accusative, in the sense of 
emittere or exsudare. — 45. Tibi pulcher. " Wondrous fair in thine own 
eyes," i. e. extremely well pleased with thyself. — Jld hac ego varibus uti 
formido. "At these words I am afraid to turn up my nose." Our poet, 
observes Dacier, was afraid of answering this insipid raillery with the 
contempt it deserved for fear of being beaten. He had not naturally too 
much courage, and bad poets are a choleric, testy generation. — 47. Et 
diludia posco. " And I ask for an intermission." The Latins used dilu- 
dia to denote an intermission of fighting given to the gladiators during 
the public games. Horace therefore pleasantly begs he may have time 
allowed him to correct his verses, before he mounts the stage and makes 
a public exhibition of his powers. — 48. Genuit. The aorist: equivalent 
to gignere solet. 



Epistle 20. Addressed to his book. The poet, pretending that this, 
the first book of his epistles, was anxious to go forth into public, though 
against his will, proceeds to fortell, like another prophet, the fate that 
would inevitably accompany this rash design. It is evident, however, 
From what follows after the 17th verse, that all these gloomy forebodings 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK I. EPISTLE XX. 

had no real existence whatever in the poet's imagination, but that his eye 
' on clear and distinct visions of future fame. 



1 — 5. 1. Vertumnum Janiimque, &c. Near the temples of Vertumnus 
and Janus were porticoes, around the columns of which the booksellers 
were accustomed to display their books for sale. Consult note on Sat. 1. 
4.71. — 2. Scilicet. Ironical. — Sosiorum pumice mundus. "Smoothed by 
the pumice of the Sosii." A part of the process of preparing works for 
Bale, consisted in smoothing the parchment with pumice-stone, in order to 
remove all excrescences from the surface. This operation was performed 
by the bookseller, who combined in himself the two employments of ven- 
der and book-binder, if the latter term be here allowed us. (Consult note 
on Epode 14. 8.) The Sosii were a Plebeian family, well known in Rome, 
two brothers of which distinguished themselves as booksellers by the cor- 
rectness of their publications, and the beauty of what we would term the 
binding. — 3. Odisti claves, et grata sigilla pudico. Most interpreters of the 
bard suppose, that the allusion here is to the Roman custom of not merely 
locking, but also of sealing, the doors of the apartments in which their 
children were kept, that no persons, who might be suspected of corrupt- 
ing their innocence, should be allowed to enter. This interpretation is 
certainly favoured by the words JV'on ita nutritus in the fifth line, where 
Horace addresses his literary offspring as a father would a child. — 4. 
Communia. " Public places," i. e. the public shops, or places of sale, 
where many would see and handle it. — 5. JVcm ita nutritus. " Thou wast 
not reared with this view." — Fuge quo descender e gestis. The allusion is 
to the going down into the R.oman forum, which was situate between 
the Capitoline and Palatine hills. Hence the phrase in Forum de- 
scendere is one of frequent occurrence in Cicero and Seneca. 

6 — 14. 6. Miser. Referring to the consequences of its own rashness. 
— 8. In breve te cogi. " That thou art getting squeezed into a small com- 

!>ass," i. e. art getting rolled up close, to be laid by. The poet threatens 
lis book, that it shall be rolled up, as if condemned never to be read again. 
The books of the ancients were written on skins of parchment, which 
they were obliged to unfold and extend when they designed to read them. 
— Plenus quum languet amator. The lover here signifies a passionate 
reader, who seizes a book with rapture ; runs over it in haste ; his curiosi- 
ty begins to be satisfied ; his appetite is cloyed ; he throws it away, and 
never opens it again. — 9. Q,uid si non odio peccantis desipit augur. "But 
if the augur, who now addresses thee, is not deprived of his better judg- 
ment by indignation at thy folly," i. e. if the anger which I now feel at thy 
rash and foolish conduct, does not so influence my mind as to disqualify me 
from forseeeing and predicting the truth. — 10. Donee te deserat cetas. "Un- 
til the season of youth shall have left thee," i. e. as long as thou retainest 
the charms of novelty. — 12. Taciturnus. Elegantly applied to a book, 
which, having no reader with whom, as it were, to converse, is compelled 
to remain silent. — 13. Aut fugles Uticam, aut vinctus milteris Her dam. 
Manuscripts, remarks Sanadon, must have been of such value, that peo- 
ple of moderate fortune could not purchase them when they were first 
J)ublished, and when they came into their hands they had grown, general- 
y speaking, far less valuable. They were then sent by the booksellers 
into the colonies for a better sale. Horace therefore tells his book, that 
when it has lost the charms of novelty and youth, it shall either feed moths 
at Rome, or willingly take its flight to Africa, or be sent by force to Spain. 
Utica and Ilerda are here put for - the distant quarters in general. The for- 
mer was situate in the vicinity of the spot where ancient Carthage had 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 5B9 

they were by no means so equitable, since they treated the living bard, 
however high his merit, with contempt, and reserved their homage for 
those whom they dignified with the name of ancients. He confutes one 
argument by which this prepossession was supported : That the oldest 
Greek writers, being incontestably superior to those of modern date, it 
followed that the like preference should be given to the antiquated Ro- 
man masters. 

Having obviated the popular and reigning prejudice against modem 
poets, he proceeds to conciliate the imperial favour in their behalf, by 
placing their pretensions in a just light. This leads him to give a sketch 
of the progress of Latin poetry, from its rude commencement in the 
service of a barbarous superstition, till his own time ; and to point out 
the various causes which had impeded the attainment of perfection, par- 
ticularly in the theatrical department ; as the little attention paid to 
critical learning, the love of lucre which had infected Roman genius, 
and the preference given to illiberal sports and shows, over all the genuine 
beauties of the drama. He at length appropriately concludes his inte- 
resting subject, by applauding Augustus for the judicious patronage 
which he had already afforded to meritorious poets, and showing the im- 
portance of still farther extending his protection to those who have the 
power of bestowing immortality on princes. It is difficult to say what 
influence this epistle may have had on the taste of the age. That it 
contributed to conciliate the favour of the public for the writers of tho 
day seems highly probable ; but it does not appear to have eradicated 
the predilection for the oldest class of poets, which continued to be felt 
in full force as late as the reign of Nero. (Compare Persius, 1. 76.) 

1 — 4. 1. Solus. From A. U. C. 727, when he was by a public decree 
saluted with the title of Augustus, an appellation which all were direct- 
ed for the future to bestow upon him, the distinguished individual here 
addressed may be said to have reigned alone, having then received, in 
addition to the consulship, the tribunitian power, and the guardianship 
of public morals and of the laws. — 2. Moribus ornes. Augustus was in- 
vested with censorian power, repeatedly for five years, according to Dio 
Cassius, 53. 17, and according to Suetonius for life, (Suet. Oct. 27.) under 
the title of Prcefectus Morum. It is to the exercise of the duties con- 
nected with this office, that the poet here alludes. — 4. Longo sermone. 
Commentators are perplexed by this expression, since, with the excep- 
tion of the epistle to the Pisos, the present is actually one of the longest 
that we have from the pen of Horace. Hurd takes sermone to signify 
here, not the body of the epistle, but the poem or introduction only : 
Parr's explanation, however, appears to us the fairest : " As to longo, 
the proper measure of it seems the length of the Epistle itself compared 
with the extent and magnitude of the subject." (Warb. Tr. p. 171. n. 2.) 

5 — 9. 5. Romulus et Liber pater, &c. The subject now opens. The 
primary intention of the poet, observes Hurd, is to remove the force of 
prejudice arising from the superior veneration of the ancients. To ac- 
complish this end, the first thing requisite was to demonstrate, by some 
striking instance, that it was, indeed, nothing but prejudice ; which he 
does effectually, by taking that instance from the heroic, that is, the most 
revered, ages. For if those, whose acknowledged virtues and eminent 
services had raised them to the rank of heroes, that is, in the pagan con- 
ception of things, to the honours of divinity, could not secure their fame, 
in their own times, against the malevolence of slander, what wonder 



590 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK H. EPISTLE I. 

that the race of wits, whose obscurer merit is less likely to dazzle the 
public eye, and yet, by a peculiar fatality, is more apt to awaken its jea- 
lousy, should find themselves oppressed by its rudest censure? In the 
former case, the honours which equal posterity paid to excelling worth, 
declare all such censure to have been the calumny of malice only. What 
reason then to conclude, it had any other original in the latter ; This is 
the poet's argument. — Deorum in templa. Equivalent to in coelum. — 
Compare the explanation of the scholiast : " Deorum in templa recepti : 
divinis honoribus consecrati." — 7. Colunl. " They civilize." Equivalent 
to cultos reddunt. — 9. Jigros assignant. "Assign fixed settlements," 

10 — 16. 10. Diram qui contudit hydram. Hercules, the conqueror of 
the Lernean hydra. — 11. Falali labor e. " By his fated labours," i. e. the 
labours imposed on him by fate. — 12. Comperit invidiam supremo fine do- 
mart " Found that envy was to be overcome by death alone." A beau • 
tiful idea. Every other monster yielded to the prowess of Hercules- 
Envy alone bade defiance to his ami, and was to be conquered only upon 
the hero's surrender of existence. — 13. Urit enim fidgore suo, qui pra- 
gravat artes, &c. " For he, who bears down by superior merit the arts 
placed beneath him, burns by his very splendour," i. e. he, whose supe- 
riority is oppressive to infernal minds, excites envy by this very pre-emi- 
nence. Jlrtes is here equivalent in effect to artifices. — 14. Exstinctus ama- 
bitur idem. When the too powerful splendour is withdrawn, our natural 
veneration of it takes place. — 15. Prozsenti tibi maturos largimur honor es, 
&c. A happy stroke of flattery, and which the poet with great skill 
makes to have a direct bearing on his subject According to him, the 
Roman people had, with equal justice and wisdom, heaped divine honours 
on Augustus, while yet present among them, and yet this same people 
were so unfair in matters of taste, as to treat the living bard, whatever 
his merit, with contempt, and to reserve their homage for those whom 
they dignified with the name of ancients. Thus the very exception to 
the general rule of merit neglected while alive, which forms the striking 
encomium in the case of Augustus, furnishes the poet with a powerful 
argument for the support of his main proposition. — Maturos honores. 
"Living honours." — 16. Jurandasque tuum per numen ponimus aras. 
" And we raise altars where men are to swear by thy divinity." 

18 — 25. 18. In uno. "In one thing alone." — 20. Cetera. Equiva- 
lent, in effect, to ceteros. — Simili ratione modoque. "By the same rule 
and in the same manner." — 21. Suisque temporibus defuncla. " And to 
have run out their allotted periods," i. e. and already past. — 23 Sic fau- 
tor veterum. " Such favourers of antiquity," i. e. such strenuous advo- 
cates for the productions of earlier days. The reference is still to the 
Roman people. — Tabulas peccare vetantes. " The tables forbidding to 
transgress." Alluding to the twelve tables of the Roman law, the 
foundation of all their jurisprudence. Horace would have done well to 
have considered, if, amid the manifold improvements of the Augustan 
poets, they had judged wisely in rejecting those rich and sonorous diph- 
thongs of the tabidas peccare vetantes, which still sound with such strength 
and majesty in the lines of Lucretius. — 24. Qwas bis quinque viri sanxe- 
runt. "Which the Decemviri enacted," i.e. which the Decemviri, 
being authorised by the people, proclaimed as laws. — Foedera regum. 
Alluding to the league of Romulus with the Sabines, and that of Tar- 
quinius Superbus with the people of Gabii. — 25. Vel Gabiis vel cum ri- 
gidis cequata Sabinis. In construction, cum must be supplied with Ga- 
biis. Consult note on Epist. 1. 11. 7. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 591 

26, 27. 26. Pontificum libros. According to a well-known custom, 
manifestly derived from very ancient times, the chief pontiff wrote on a 
whited table the events of the year, prodigies, eclipses, a pestilence, a 
scarcity, campaigns, triumphs, the deaths of illustrious men ; in a word, 
what Livy brings together at the end of the tenth book, and in such as 
remain of the following ones, mostly when closing the history of a year, 
in the plainest words, and with the utmost brevity ; so dry that nothing 
could be more jejune. The table was then set up in the pontiff's house : 
the annals of the several years were afterwards collected in books. 
This custom obtained until the pontificate of P. Mucius, and the times 
of the Gracchi ; when it ceased, because a literature had now been 
formed, and perhaps because the composing such chronicles seemed too 
much below the dignity of the chief pontiff. — Jlnnosa volumina vatum. 
Alluding to the Sybilline oracles and other early predictions, but parti- 
cularly the former. — 27. Albano Musus in monte locutas. A keen sar- 
casm on the blind admiration with which the relics of earlier days were 
regarded, as if the very Muses themselves had abandoned Helicon and 
Parnassus, to come upon the Alban mount, and had there dictated the 
treaties and prophecies to which the poet refers. Under the terms Mu- 
xas there is a particular reference to the nymph Egeria, with whom, as 
it is well known, Numa pretended to hold secret conferences on the Al- 
ban mountain. Egeria, besides, was ranked by some among the num- 
ber of the Muses. Thus Dionysius of Halicarnassus remarks : Irtpoi is 
oh Nufuprjv (scil. rriv 'Hyepiav jivQokoyovai) dXAa tuv Movcwv n'tav. (2. 60.) — 
Mbano monte. The Alban mount, now called Monte Cavo, had the city 
of Alba Longa situate on its slope, and was about twenty miles from 
Rome. 

28 — 33. 28. Si quia Graiorum sunt antiquissima, &c. " If, because the 
most ancient works of the Greeks are even the best, the Roman writers 
are to be weighed in the same balance, there is no need of our saying 
much on the subject," i. e. it is in vain to say any thing farther. — 31. Nil 
intra est olea, nil extra est in nuce duri. " There is nothing hard within in 
the olive, there is nothing hard without in the nut." The idea intended 
to be conveyed by this line, and the two verses that immediately succeed, 
is as follows : To assert, that, because the oldest Greek writers are the 
best, the oldest Roman ones are also to be considered superior to those 
who have come after, is just as absurd as to say, that the olive has no pit, 
and the nut no shell, or to maintain that our countrymen excel the Greeks 
in music, painting, and the exercises of the palaestra. — Unctis. Alluding 
to the custom of anointing the body, previous to engaging in gymnastic 
exercises. 

34 — 49. 34.. Si meliora dies, at vim, poemata reddit, &c. "If length 
of time makes poems better, as it does wine, I should like to know how 
many years will claim a value for writings." The poet seems pleasantly 
to allow, that verses, like wine, may gain strength and spirit by a certain 
number of years. Then, under cover of this concession, he insensibly leads 
his adversary to his ruin. He proposes a term, of a reasonable distance, 
for separating ancients from moderns ; and, this term being once received, 
he by degrees presses upon his disputant, who was not on his guard 
against surprise, and who neither knows how to advance or retreat. — 36. 
Decidit. Equivalent to mortuus est— 38. Excludat jurgia finis. "Let 
some fixed period exclude all possibility of dispute."— 39. Est vetus atque 
probus, centum qui perficit annos. We have here the answer to Horace's 
question, supposed to be given by some admirer of the ancients. — 40. 
53 



592 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK H. EPISTLE I. 

Minor. Supply natu. "Later." — 42. An quos. Complete the ellipsis 
as follows : An inter eos quos. — 43. Honeste. " Fairly." — 45. Utor per- 
misso, caud.ce.que pilosut equince, &c. "I avail myself of this concession, 
and pluck away the years by little and little, as I would the hairs of a 
horse's tail ; and first, I take away one, and then again I take away an- 
other, until he who has recourse to annals, and estimates merit by years, 
and admires nothing but what Libitina has consecrated, falls to the 
ground, being overreached by the steady principle of the sinking heap," 
i. e. the principle by which the heap keeps steadily diminishing. We 
have here a fair specimen of the argument in logic, termed Sorites, (Tapl- 
rris, from awpbs, " a heap.") It is composed of several propositions, very 
little different from each other, and closely connected together. The 
conceding of the first, which in general cannot be withheld, draws after it 
a concession of all the rest in their respective turns, until our antagonist 
finds himself driven into a situation from which there is no escape. As 
a heap of corn, for example, from which one grain after another is conti- 
nually taken, at length sinks to the ground, so, in the present instance, a 
large number of years, from which a single one is constantly taken, is at 
last so diminished that we cannot tell when it ceased to be a large num- 
ber. Chrysippus was remarkable for his frequent use of this syllogism, 
and is supposed to have been the inventor. — 46. Paulatim vello, et demo 
unum, demo et item unum. With vello supply annos, and with each unum 
supply annum. — 47. Cadat. As if he had been standing on the heap, in 
fancied security, until the removal of one of its component parts after 
another brings him eventually to the ground. — 49. Nisi quod Libitina sa- 
cravit. Alluding to the works of those who have been consigned to the 
tomb: the writings of former days. Consult, as regards Libitina, the 
note on Ode 3. 30. 7. 

50 — 53. 50. Ennius, et sapiens, et fortis, &c. "Ennius, both learned 
and spirited, and a second Homer, as critics say, seems to care but little 
what becomes of his boastful promises and his Pythagorean dreams." 
Thus far the poet has been combating the general prejudice of his time 
in favour of antiquity. He now enters into the particulars of his charge, 
and, from line 50 to 59, gives us a. detail of the judgments passed upon 
the most celebrated of the old Roman poets by the generality of his con- 
temporaries. As these judgments are only a representation of the popu- 
lar opinion, not of the writer's own, the commendations here bestowed 
are deserved or otherwise just as it chances. Horace commences with 
Ennius : the meaning, however, which he intends to convey has been 
in general not very clearly understood. Ennius particularly professed 
to have imitated Homer, and tried to persuade his countrymen, that the 
soul and genius of that great poet had revived in him, through the me- 
dium of a peacock, according to the process of Pythagorean transmigra- 
tion : a fantastic genealogy to which Persius alludes (6. 10. seqq.) Hence 
the boastful promises (promissa) of the old bard, that he would pour 
forth strains worthy of the Father of Grecian song. The fame of Enni- 
us, however, observes Horace, is now completely established among the 
critics of the day, and he appears to be perfectly at ease with regard to 
his promises and his dreams (leviter curare videtur, quo promissa cadant, 
&c.) Posterity, in their blind admiration, have made him all that he pro- 
fessed to be. — 53. Naevius in manibus non est, &c. " Is not Naevius in 
every one's hands, and does he not adhere to our memories almost as if 
he had been a writer of but yesterday ?" With recens supply ut. The 
idea intended to be conveyed is this : But why do I instance Ennius as 
a proof of the admiration entertained for antiquity? Is not Naevius, a 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 593 

much older and harsher writer, in every body's hands, and as fresh in 
their memories almost as if he were one of their contemporaries ? 

55 — 58. 55. Ambigitur quoties. "As often as a debate arises," i. e. 
among the critics of the day. — Jlufert Pacuvius docli faman se7iis, Jlccius 
alti. " Pacuvius bears away the character of a skilful veteran, Accius 
of a lofty writer." With alti supply poetce. The term senis characte- 
rises Pacuvius as a literary veteran ; a title which he well deserved, since 
he published his last piece at the age of eighty, and died after having 
nearly completed his ninetieth year. As regards the epithet docti, it 
must be borne in mind, that the reference here is not to learning, as 
some pretend, but to skill in the dramatic conduct of the scene. — 57. 
Dicitur Jlfrani toga convenisse Menandro. " The gown of Afranius is 
said to have fitted Menander." An expression of singular felicity, and 
indicating the closeness with which Afranius, according to the critics of 
the day, imitated the manner and spirit of the Attic Menander. The 
term toga is here employed in allusion to the subjects of Afranius's co- 
medies, which were formed on the manners and customs of the Romans, 
and played in Roman dresses. His pieces therefore would receive the 
appellation of comoediaz (or fabuloz) togatoz ; as those founded on Grecian 
manners, and played in Grecian dresses, would be styled palliatcc. — 58. 
Plautus ad exemplar Xiarfi properare Epicharmi. " Plautus to hurry on- 
ward after the pattern of the Sicilian Epicharmus." The true meaning 
of properare, in this passage, has been misunderstood by some com- 
mentators. It refers to the particular genius of Plautus, whose pieces 
are full of action, movement, and spirit. The incidents never flag, but 
rapidly accelerate the catastrophe. At the same time, however, it can- 
not be denied, that if we regard his plays in the mass, there is a consi- 
derable, and perhaps too great, uniformity in their fables. This failing, 
of course, his admirers overlooked. 

59 — 62. 59. Vincere Cczcilius gravitate, Terentius arte. "Csecilius to 
excel in what is grave and affecting, Terence in the artificial contexture 
of his plots." — 60. Ediscit. " Gets by heart." — Jlrcto theatro. " In the 
too narrow theatre," i. e. though large in itself, yet too confined to be 
capable of holding the immense crowds that flock to the representation. 
62. Livi. Livius Andronicus, an old comic poet, and the freedman of 
Livius Salinator. He is said to have exhibited the first play A. U. C. 
513 or 514, about a year after the termination of the first Punic war 

63 — 75. 63. Interdum vidgus rectum videt, &c. From this to the 66th 
line, the poet admits the reasonable pretensions of the ancient writers to 
admiration. It is the degree of it alone to which he objects. " Si vete- 
res ita miratur laudatque,^ &c. In the next place, he wished to draw off* 
the applause of his contemporaries from the ancient to the modern poets. 
This required the superiority of the latter to be clearly shown, or, what 
amounts to the same thing, the comparative defects of the ancients to be 
pointed out. These were not to be dissembled, and are, as he openly 
insists (to line 69), obsolete language, rude and barbarous construction, and 
slovenly composition. "Si qucedam nimis antique." &c. — 66. Nimis anti- 
que. " In too obsolete a manner." — Dure. " In a rude and barbarous 
way." — 67. Ignave. " With a slovenly air." — 68. Et Jove judicat aequo. 
" And judges with favouring Jove." , A kind of proverbial expression, 
founded on the idea that men derive all their knowledge from the deity. 
Hence, when they judge fairly and well, we may say that the deity is 
favourable, and the contrary when they judge ill. — 69. Non equidem in- 



594 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 

sector delendave carmina Livi esse rear, &c. The connection in the train 
of ideas may be stated as follows : But what then ? (an objector replies), 
these were venial faults surely, the deficiencies of the times, and not of 
the men ; who, with such deviations from correctness as have just been 
noted, might still possess the greatest talents, and produce the noblest 
designs. This (from line 69 to 79.) is readily admitted. But, in the 
mean time, one thing was clear, that they were not almost finished mo- 
dels, "exactis minimum distantia," which was the main point in dispute. 
For the bigot's absurdity lay in this, " Non veniam antiquis, sed honorem 
et prazma posci." — Livi. Alluding to Livius Andronicus. Compare note 
on verse 62.— 71. Orbilium. Horace had been some time at the school 
of Orbilius Pupillus, a native of Beneventum, who in his fiftieth year, 
the same in which Cicero was consul, came to teach at Rome. He is 
here styled plagosus, from his great severity. Dictare. Consult note on 
Sat. 1. 10. 75. — 72. Exactis minimum distantia. " Very little removed 
from perfection." — 73. Inter qua. Referring to the carmina Livi. — Ver- 
bum emicuit si forte decorum. " If any happy expression has chanced 
to shine forth upon the view," i. e. has happened to arrest the attention. 
Emicare is properly applied to objects which, as in the present instance, 
are more conspicuous than those around, and therefore catch the eye 
more readily. — 75. Injuste Mum ducit venditque poema. "It unjustly 
carries along with it, and procures the sale of the whole poem." By the 
use of ducit the poet means to convey the idea, that a happy turn of ex- 
pression, or a verse somewhat smoother and more elegant than ordi- 
nary, stamps a value on the whole production, and, under its protecting 
guidance, carries the poetical bark, heavily laden, though it be with all 
kinds of absurdities, safe into the harbour of public approbation. 

79 — 85. 79. Rectenecne crocum floresque perambulet, &c. "Were I 
to doubt, whether Atta's drama moves amid the saffron and the flowers of 
the stage in a proper manner or not," &c. The reference here is to Titus 
duinctius, who received die surname of Atta from a lameness in his feet, 
which gave him the appearance of a man walking on tip-toe. It is to 
this personal deformity that Horace pleasantly alludes, when he supposes 
the plays of Atta limping over the stage like their lame author. The 
Roman stage was sprinkled with perfumed waters and strewed with 
flowers. We may easily infer from this passage the high reputation 
in which the dramas of Atta stood among the countrymen of Horace. — 
81. P aires. Equivalent to seniores. — 82. Quce gravis JEsopus, quae, doctus 
Roscius egit. " Which the dignified JEsopus, which the skilful Roscius 
have performed." iEsopus and Roscius were two distinguished actors 
of the day. Cicero makes mention of them both, but more particularly 
of the latter, who attained to such eminence in the histrionic art, that his 
name became proverbial, and an individual that excelled, not merely in 
this profession but in any other, was styled a Roscius in that branch. — 84. 
Minoribus. Ecmivalent to junioribus. — 85. Perdenda. " Is deserving only 
of being destroyed." 

86 — 88. 86. Jam Saliare Numaz carmen qui laudat, &c. The carmen 
Saliare, here referred to, consisted of the strains sung by the Salii, or 
priests of Mars, in their solemn procession. This sacerdotal order was 
instituted by Numa, for the purpose of preserving the sacred ancilia. 
There remain only a few words of the song of the Salii, which have been 
cited by Varro. In the time of this writer, the carmen Saliare was little, if 
at all, understood. — 87. Scire. " To understand." — 88. Ingeniis non ille 
favet, &c. The remark here made is perfectly just; for how can one, in 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.-— BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 595 

reality, cherish an admiration for that, the tenour and the meaning of 
which he is unable to comprehend ? 

90 — 92. 90. Quod si tarn Gratis novitas invisa fuisset, &c. The poet, 
having sufficiently exposed the unreasonable attachment of his country- 
men to the fame of the earlier writers, now turns to examine the pernicious 
influence which it is likely to exert on the rising literature of his country. 
He commences by asking a pertinent question, to which it concerned his 
antagonists to make a serious reply. They had magnified (line 28) the 
perfection of the Grecian models. But what (from line 90 to 93) if the 
Greeks had conceived the same aversion to novelties, as the Romans ? 
How then could these models have ever been furnished to the public use ? 
The question, it will be perceived, insinuates what was before affirmed to 
be the truth of the case; that the unrivalled excellence of the Greek poets 
proceeded only from long and vigorous exercise, and a painful, uninter- 
rupted application to the arts of verse. The liberal spirit of that people 
led them to countenance every new attempt towards superior literary ex- 
cellence ; and so, by the public favour, their writings, from rude essays, 
became at length the standard and the admiration of succeeding times. 
The Romans had treated their adventurers quite otherwise, and the effect 
was answerable. This is the purport of what to a common eye may look 
like a digression (from line 93 to 108) in which is delineated the very dif- 
ferent genius and practice of the two nations. For the Greeks (to line 
102) had applied themselves, in the intervals of their leisure from the toils 
of war, to the cultivation of literature and the elegant arts. The activity 
of these restless spirits was incessantly attempting some new and untried 
form of composition ; and when that was brought to a due degree of per- 
fection, it turned in good time to the cultivation of some other. So that 
the very caprice of humour (line 101) assisted in this country to advance 
and help forward the public taste. Such was the effect of peace and op- 
portunity with them. Hoc paces kabuere bona, ventique secundi. The Ro- 
mans, on the other hand, (to line 108) acting under the influence of a colder 
temperament, had directed their principal efforts to the pursuit of domestic 
utilities, and a more dexterous management of the arts of gain. The con- 
sequence was, that when (to line 117) the old frugal spirit had in time de- 
cayed, and they began to seek for the elegancies of life, a fit of versifying, 
the first of all liberal amusements that usually seizes an idle people, came 
upon them. But their ignorance of rules, and want of exercise in the art 
of writing, rendered them wholly unfit to succeed in it. The root of the 
mischief was the idolatrous regard paid to their ancient poets, which 
checked the progress of true genius, and drew it aside into a vicious and 
unprofitable mimicry of earlier times. Hence it came to pass, that, wher- 
ever, in other arts, the previous knowledge of rules is required to the prac- 
tice of them, in this of versifying no such qualifications was deemed ne- 
cessary. Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim. — 92. Quod legeret 
tereretque, &c. " That would have been read and thumbed in common 
by every body." 

93 — 102. 93. Nugari. " To turn her attention to amusements." — 
Bellis. Alluding particularly to the Persian war; for, from this period 
more attention began to be paid to literature and the peaceful arts.— 94. 
— Et in vilium fortuna labier aeqaa. "And, from the influence of pros- 
perity, to glide into corruption," i. e. to abandon the strict moral disci- 
pline of earlier days. — Jlequa. Equivalent to secunda. — 95. Equorum. 
Alluding to equestrian games. — 96. Fabros. " Artists." — 97. Suspendit 
picta vultum mentemque iabella, " She fixed her look and her whole mind 



S96 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 

upon the painting," i. e. she gazed with admiration on fine paintings. 
The elegant use of suspendere, in this passage, is deserving of'particular 
attention. — -.98. Tibicinibus. The reference is to comedy, in allusion to 
the music of the flute which accompanied the performance of the actor. 
■ — 99. Sub niUrice puella velut si luderet infans. " Like an infant girl 
sporting beneath her nurse's care," or, more literally : " as if, an infant 
girl, she sported under a nurse." Nutrix here embraces the idea of both 
nurse and attendant, but more particularly the latter. — 100. Mature -ple- 
na. " Soon cloyed." — 102. Hoc. " This effect." — Paces bonae ventique 
secundi. " The happy times of peace, and the favouring gales of national 
prosperity." Compare note on verse 90. 

103 — 117. 103. Rec lusa mane domo vigilare, &.c, " To be up early in 
the morning with open doors, to explain the laws to clients, to put out 
money carefully guarded by good securities." The terms rectis nomini- 
bus have reference to the wrttten obligation of repayment, as signed by 
the, borrower, and having the name of witnesses also annexed. — -106. 
Majores audire, minori dicere, &c. Compare the scholiast: "Majores, 
senes: minori, juniori." — 108. Mutavit mentem populus levis, &c. Com- 
pare note on verse 90. — 109. Patresque severi. The epithet severi is 
ironical. — 100. Dictant. "Dictate," i. e. to their amanuenses. — 112. 
Parthis mendacior. The Parthians were a false and lying nation. Their 
very mode of fighting proved this, by their appearing to fly while they 
actually fought ; nor is the allusion a bad one in reference to a poet, 
who renounces rhyming and yet continues to write. — 113. Scrinia. A 
kind of case or port-folio to hold writing-materials. — 114. Ignarus navis. 
Supply agendae. — Jlbrotonum. " Southernwood." An odoriferous shrub, 
which grows spontaneously in the southern parts of Europe, and is culti- 
vated elsewhere in gardens. It was used very generally in medicine be- 
fore the introduction of camomile. (Plin. H. JV. 21. 10.) Wine, in 
which southernwood had been put, (o7vog aBporovhijs), was thought to 
possess very healthful properties. — 116. Promittunt. In the sense of 
profitentur. — 117. Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim. Compare 
note on verse 90. 

US — 124. 118. Hie error tamen, et levis hate insania,k,c. Having 
sufficiently obviated the popular and reigning prejudices against the mo- 
dern poets, Horace, as the advocate of their fame, now undertakes to set 
forth in a just light their real merits and pretensions. In furtherance of this 
view, and in order to impress the emperor with as advantageous an idea as 
possible of the worth and dignity of the poetic calling, he proceeds to draw 
the character of the true bard, in his civil, moral and religious virtues. For, 
the muse, as the poet contends, administers in this threefold capacity to 
the service of the state. — 119. Vatis avarus non temere est animus. " The 
breast of the bard is not easily swayed by avaricious feelings." In ge- 
neral, a powerful inclination for poetry mortifies and subdues all other 
passions. Engaged in an amusement, which is always innocent if not 
laudable, while it is only an amusement, a poet wishes to entertain the 
public, and usually does not give himself too much pain to raise his own 
fortune, or injure that of others. — 122. J\Tcn fraudem socio, puerove inco- 
gitat ullam pupillo. " He meditates nothing fraudulent against a part- 
ner, nor against the boy that is his ward." As regards the term socio, 
consult note on Ode 3. 24. 60. Incogital is analogous to the Greek invotl 
or fai6ov\det. Horace appears to have been the first, if not. the only wri- 
ter that has made use of this verb. — 123. Vivit siliquis et pane secundo. 
a He lives on carobs and brown bread." By siliquis are here meant the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 597 

pods of the carob-tree, which in times of scarcity supplied the poor with 
food. — Pane secundo. Literally, " bread of a secondary quality." — 124. 
tMalus. " Cowardly." 

126 — 131. 126. Os tenerum pueri balbumque poeta figivrat. "The poet 
fashions the tender and lisping accents of the boy." Horace now begins 
to enumerate the positive advantages that flow from his art. It fashions 
the imperfect accents of the boy ; for children are first made to read the 
works of the poets ; they get their moral sentences by heart, and are in 
this way taught the mode of pronouncing with exactness and propriety. 
— 127. Torquet ab obscmiis jam nunc sermonibus aurem. In a moral 
point of view, argues Horace, the services of poetry are not less consi- 
derable. It serves to turn the ear of youth from that early corrupter of 
its innocence, the seducement of loose and impure communication. — 
128. Mox etiam pectus praceptls format amicis. Poetry next serves to form 
our riper age, which it does with all the address and tenderness of friend- 
ship (amicis praceptis) by the sanctity and wisdom of the lessons which 
it inculcates, and by correcting rudeness of manners, and envy and an- 
ger. — 1 30. Recte facta refert. " He records virtuous and noble actions." 
— Orientia tempera nolis instruit exemplis, " He instructs the rising ge- 
neration by well-known examples," i. e. he places before the eyes of the 
young, as models of imitation in after-life, well-known examples of il- 
lustrious men. — 131. Inopem solatur et agrum. The poet can relieve 
even the languor of ill health, and sustain poverty herself under the 
scorn and insult of contumelious opulence. 

132 — 137. 132. Castis cum pueris ignara puella mariti, &c An ele- 
gant expression for chorus castorum puerorum et castarum virginum. We 
now enter upon an enumeration of the services which poetry renders to 
religion. — 134. Etprozsentia numina sentit. " And finds the gods propi- 
tious." — 135. Calestes implorat aquas. In times of great drought, to 
avert the wrath of heaven and obtain rain, solemn sacrifices were of- 
fered to Jupiter, called Jlquilicla. The people walked bare-foot in pro- 
cession, and hymns were sung by a chorus of boys and girls. — Docta 
prece blandus. "Sweetly soothing in instructed prayer," i. e. in the 
accents of prayer as taught them by the bard. — 136. Jlvertit morbos. 
Phoebus, whose aid the chorus invokes, is a deus averruncus, airorpdiraios. 
— 137. Pacem. " National tranquillity." 

139 — 144. 139. Agricolce, prisci, fortes, parvoque beati, Sac. As regards 
the connection in the train of ideas, compare the remarks of Hurd. 
" But religion, which was its noblest end, was, besides, the first object 
of poetry. The dramatic muse in particular, had her birth, and derived 
her very character, from it. This circumstance then leads him, with ad- 
vantage, to give an historical deduction of the rise and progress of Latin 
poetry, from its first rude workings in the days of barbarous superstition, 
through every successive period of its improvement, down to his own 
times. 141. Spe finis. "Through the hope of their ending." — 143. 
Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant. The poet here selects two from 
the large number of rural divinities, Tellus, or Ceres, and Silvanus. — 
144. Genium memorem brevis aevi. " The Genius thatreminds us of the 
shortness of our existence." Consult note on Ode 3. 17. 14. Flowers, 
cakes and wine were the usual offerings to this divinity : no blood was 
shed, because it appeared unnatural lo sacrifice beasts to a god, who 
presided over life, and was worshipped as the grand enemy of death. 
The poet says, he taught his votaries to remember the shortness of life, 



598 EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK II. EPIST1B I. 

because, as he was born with them, entered into all their pleasures, and 
died with them, he pressed them for his own sake to make the best use of 
their time. 

145 — 154. 154. Fescennina per hunc invecta licenlia morem, &c. As 
the Grecian holidays were celebrated with offerings to Bacchus and 
Ceres, to whose bounty they owed their wine and corn, in like manner 
the ancient Italians propitiated, as the poet has just informed us, their 
agricultural or rustic deities with appropriate offerings. But as they 
knew nothing of the Silenus, or Satyrs of the Greeks, who acted so 
conspicuous a part in the rural celebrations of this people, a chorus of 
peasants, fantastically disguised in masks cut out from the bark of 
trees, danced or sung to a certain kind of verse, which they called Sa- 
turnian. Such festivals had usually the double purpose of worship and 
recreation ; and accordingly the verses often digressed from the praises 
of Bacchus to mutual taunts and railleries, like those in Virgil's third 
eclogue, on the various defects and vices of the speakers, " Versibus al- 
ternis opprobria rusticafudit." Such verses originally sung or recited in 
the Tuscan and Latin villages, at nuptials or religious festivals, were 
first introduced at Rome by Histrions, who were summoned from Etru- 
ria to Rome in order to allay a pestilence, which was depopulating the 
city. (Liv. 7. 2.) These Histrions, being mounted on a stage, like our 
mountebanks, performed a sort of ballet, by dancing and gesticulating 
to the sound of musical instruments. The Roman youth thus learned 
to imitate their gestures and music, which they accompanied with rail- 
ing verses delivered in extemporary dialogue. Such verses were termed 
Fescennine, either because they were invented at Fescennia, a city of 
Etruria; or from Fascinus, one of the Roman deities. The jeering, 
however, which had been at first confined to inoffensive raillery, at 
length exceeded the bounds of moderation, and the peace of private fa- 
milies was invaded by the unrestrained licence of personal invective. 
This exposure of private individuals, which alarmed even those who 
had been spared, was restrained by a salutary law of the Decemviri. — 
147. Recurrentes accepta per annos. " Received through returning 
years," i. e. handed down with each returning year. — 149. Donee jam 
scevus apertam, &c. " Until now bitter jests began to be converted into 
open and virulent abuse." — 151. Fuit intactis quoque cura, &c. " They 
too that were as yet unassailed felt a solicitude for the common condi- 
tion of all." — 153. Malo qua nollet carmine quemquam describi. " Which 
forbade any one being stigmatised in defamatory strains." — 154. Vertere 
modum. Supply poetce. — Formidine fastis. The punishment ordained 
by the law already referred to, against any one who should violate its 
provisions, was to be beaten to death with clubs. It was termed fustua- 
rium, and formed also a part of the military discipline, in the case of 
deserters. 

156, 157. : 156. Grcecia captaferum victor em cepit. " Conquered Greece 
made captive her savage conqueror." The noblest of ail conquests, that 
of literature and the arts. — 157. Sic horridusille deftuxit numerus Saturnius. 
" In this way the rough Saturnian measure ceased to flow." Defiuxit is 
here equivalent to finer e desiit. The Saturnian measure was a sort of ir- 
regular iambic verse, said to have been originally employed by Faunus 
and the prophets, who delivered their oracles in this measure. This was 
the most ancient species of measure employed in Roman poetry, it was 
universally used before the melody of Greek verse was poured on the Ro- 
man ear, and, from ancient practice, the same strain continued to be 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. EPISTLE 1. 599 

repeated till the age of Ennius, by whom the heroic measure was intro- 
duced. 

158 — 167. 158. Et grave virus munditiaz pepulere. " And purer habits 
put the noisome poison tonight," i. e. a purer and more elegant style of 
composition succeeded to the ruggid numbers of the Saturnian verse, and 
put to flight the poison of rusticity and barbarism. The force of virus, in 
this passage, is well explained by the remark of Cruquius, " Doctas aures 
enecat oratio bai-bara." — 160. Vestigia ruris. " The traces of rusticity." — 
161. Sens enim Grmcis admovit acumina chartis. Supply Latinus. "For 
the Roman was late in applying the edge of his intellect to the Grecian 
pages."— 162. Quietus. "Enjoying repose." — 163. Quid Sophocles et 
Thespis et JEschylus utile ferrent. " What useful matter, Sophocles and 
Thespis, and iEschylus afforded." The chronological order is Thespis, 
JEschylus, et Sophocles. — 164. Tentavit quoque rem, si digne vertere posset. 
" He made the experiment, too, whether he could translate their pieces in 
the way that they deserved." — 165. Et placuil sibi, natura sublimis et acer. 
" And he felt pleased with himself at the result, being by nature of a lofty 
and high-toned character. — 166. Nam spirat tragicum satis et feliciter 
audet. " For he breathes sufficient of the spirit of tragedy, and is happy in 
his flights." Literally: "and dares successfully." — 167. Inscite. Equiva- 
lent to stulte. 

168 — 170. 168. Creditur, ex medio quia res arcessit, &c. "Comedy, 
because it takes its subjects from common life, is believed to carry with 
it the least degree of exertion, but comedy has so much the more labour 
connected with itself, the less indulgence it meets with," i. e. many are 
apt to think that comedy, because it takes its characters from common 
life, is a matter of but little labour ; it is in reality, however, a work of 
by so much the greater toil, as it has less reason to hope for pardon to be 
extended to its faults. Horace's idea is this : In tragedy the grandeur of 
the subject not only supports and elevates the poet, but also attaches the 
spectator, and leaves him no time for malicious remarks. It is otherwise, 
however, in comedy, which engages only by the just delineation that is 
made of sentiments and characters. — 170. Jldspice, Plautus quo pacta 
partes tutetur amantis ephebi, &c. "See, in what manner Plautus sup- 

Eorts the character of the youthful lover ; how, that of the covetous father ; 
ow, that of the cheating pimp." Horace, the better to show tne diffi- 
culty of succeeding in comedy, proceeds to point out the faults which the 
most popular comic writers have committed. 

175 — 177. 175. Gestit enim nummum in loculos demittere, &c. The 
allusion is still to Dossennus, who, according to the poet, was attentive 
only to the acquisition of gain, altogether unconcerned about the fate of 
his pieces after this object was accomplished. — 177. Quern txdit ad scenam 
ventoso gloria curru, &c. Horace, as Hurd remarks, here ironically adopts 
the language of an objector, who, as the poet has very satirically con- 
trived, is left to expose himself in the very terms of his objection. He 
has just been urging the love of money as another cause that contributed 
to the prostitution of the Roman comic muse, and has been blaming the 
venality of the Roman dramatic writers, in the person of Dossennus. 
They had shown themselves more solicitous about filling their pockets, 
than deserving the reputation of good poets. But, instead of insisting 
farther on the excellence of this latter motive, he stops short, and brings 
in a bad poet himself to laugh at it. "What? Is the mere love of 
praise to be our only object ? Are we to drop all inferior considerations. 



600 EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 

and drive away to the expecting stage in the puffed car of vain glory? 
And why ? To be dispirited or inflated, as the capricious spectator shall 
think fit to withhold or bestow his applause. And is this the mighty be- 
nefit of thy vaunted passion for fame ? No; farewell the stage, if the 
breath of others is that, on which the silly bard is made to depend for the 
contraction or enlargement of his dimensions." To all this convincing 
rhetoric the poet condescends to interpose no objection, well knowing 
that no truer service is, oftentimes, done to virtue or good sense, than 
when a knave or fool is left to himself to employ his idle raillery against 
either. 

178 — 182. 178. Exanimat lentus spectator, sedulus inflat. "A listless 
spectator dispirits, an attentive one puffs up." — 180. Submit ac reficit. 
" Overthrows or raises up again." — Valeat res ludicra. "Farewell to the 
stage," i. e. to the task of dramatic composition. — 181 . Palms negata- 
The poet here borrows the language of the games. So also in reducit. — 
1S2. Sozpe etiam audacem fugat hoc terretnue poetam, &c. The poet has 
just shownj that the comic writers so little regarded fame and the praise 
of good writing, as to make it the ordinary topic of their ridicule, repre- 
senting it as the mere illusion of vanity and the infirmity of weak minds,, 
to be caught by so empty and unsubstantial a benefit. Though were 
any one, he now adds, in defiance of public ridicule, so daring as frankly 
to avow and submit himself to this generous motive, yet one thing re- 
mained to check and weaken the vigour of his emulation. This (from 
line 182 to 187) was the folly and ill taste of the undiscerning multitude. 
These, by their rude clamours, and the authority of their numbers, were 
enough to dishearten the most intrepid genius ; when, after all his endea- 
vours to reap the glory of a finished production, the action was almost 
sure to be broken in upon and mangled by the shows of wild beasts and 
gladiators ; those dear delights, which the Romans, it seems, prized much 
above the highest pleasures of the drama. Nay, the poet's case was stilJ 
more desperate. For it was not tire untutored rabble alone that gave coun- 
tenance to these illiberal sports : even rank and quality, at Rome, debased 
itself in showing the strongest predilection for these shows, and was as 
ready as the populace to prefer the uninstructing pleasures of the eye to 
those of the ear, " Equitis quoque jam migravit ab aure vohiplas," &c. 
And because this barbarity of taste had contributed more than anything 
else to deprave the poetry of the stage, and discourage able writers from 
studying its perfection, what follows, from line 189 to 207, is intended as 
a satire upon this madness, this admiration of pomp and spectacle, this 
senseless applause bestowed upon the mere decorations of the scene, and 
the stage-tricks of the day : all which were more surely calculated to 
elicit the approbation of an audience, than the utmost regard, on the part 
of the poet, either to justness of design or beauty of execution. 

183 — 192. 183. Quod numero plures, virtute et henore minore.s, &c. In 
tliis and the succeeding line, the poet draws a brief but most faithful pic- 
ture of the Roman plebs. — 185. Equts. The Equites, as a better edu- 
cated class, are here opposed to the plebeians. — 186. Jlui ursum aid pugi- 
les. This was before the erection of amphitheatres. The first amphitheatre 
was erected by Statilius Taurus, in the reign of Augustus. — 187. Verum 
equitis quoque jam, &c. This corruption of taste now spreads even to the 
more educated classes. — 188. Incertos oculos. " Eyes continually wan- 
dering from one object to another," i. e. attracted by the variety and 
splendour of the objects exhibited, so as to be uncertain on which to rest 
-"iSS. Quatuor aid plures aulcea in horas. " For four hours or more is 



EXFLANTORY NOTES. — BOOK H. EPISTLE I. 601 

the 'curtain kept down." We have rendered this literally, and in ac- 
cordance with the language of former days. In the ancient theatres, 
when the play began the curtain was drawn down under the stage. Thus 
the Romans said tollere aulcca, " to raise the curtain," when the play was 
done ; and premere aulcea, when the play commenced and the performers 
appeared. Horace, therefore, here alludes to a piece, which, for four 
hours and upwards, exhibited one unbroken spectacle of troops of horse, 
companies of foot, &c. In other words, the piece in question is a mere 
show, calculated to please the eye, without at all improving the mind, of 
the spectator. — 191. Regum fortuna. " The fortune of kings," i. e. un- 
fortunate monarchs. — 192. Petorrita. Consult note on Sat. 1. 6. 104. — 
Naves. The allusion is supposed to be to the beaks of ships placed on 
vehicles, and displayed as the ornaments of a triumphal pageant. — 193. 
Caplivum ebur. Either richly-wrought articles of ivory are here meant, 
or else tusks of elephants {dentes eburnei). — Captiva Corinthus. "A 
captive Corinth," i. e. a whole Corinth of precious and costly articles. 
Corinth, once so rich in every work of art, is here used as a general ex- 
pression to denote whatever is rare and valuable. 

194—207. 194. Democritus. Consult note on Epist. 1. 12. 12.— 195- 
})iversu:n confusa genus panthcra camelo. " A panther mixed with a camel, 
a distinct species," i. e. distinct from the common panther. The poet 
alludes to the Camelopard or Giraff. — 196. Elephas albus. White ele- 
phants are as great a rarity, almost, in our own days, and their posses- 
sion is eagerly sought after, and highly prized, by some of the Eastern 
potentates. — Converteret. Supply in se. — 197. Spectaret populum ludis at- 
tentius ipsis, &c. " He would gaze with more attention on the people 
than on the sports themselves, as affording him more strange sights than 
the very actor." Mimo is here taken in the general signification of histrio. 
—199. Scriptores autem narrare putaret, &c. "While he would think 
the writers told their story to a deaf ass," i. e. while, as for the poets, he 
would think them employed to about as much purpose as if they were 
telling their story to a deaf ass. — 200. Nam quce pervinccre voces evaluere 
somtm, &c. " For what strength of lungs is able to surmount the din 
with which our theatres resound ?" i. e. for what actor can make himself 
heard amid the uproar of our theatres ? — 202. Garganum mugire putts 
nemus, &c. The chain of Mount Garganus was covered with forests, 
and exposed to the action of violent winds. Hence the roaring of the 
blast amid its woods forms no unapt comparison on the present occasion. 
Consult note on Ode 2. 9. 7. — 203. Etartes, diviticeque peregrinoz. " And 
the works of art, and the riches of foreign lands." Artes here refers to 
the statues, vases, and other things of the kind, that were displayed in 
the theatrical pageants which the poet condemns. — 204. Quibus oblitus 
actor quum stetit in scena, &c. " As soon as the actor makes his appear- 
ance on the stage, profusely covered with which, the right hand runs to 
meet the left," i. e. applause is given. The allusion in quibus, that is in 
divitice, is to purple, precious stones, costly apparel, &c. — 207. Lana Ta- 
rentino violas imitala veneno. " The wool of his robe, which imitates the 
hues of the violet by the aid of Tarentine dye," i. e. his robe dyed with 
the purple of Tarentum, and not inferior in hue to the violet. Veneno 
is here taken in the same sense that <pdpi>iaxov sometimes is in Greek. 

208 — 214. 208. Ac ne forte petes, me, quae facer e ipse recusem, &c. 
Here, observes Hurd, the poet should naturally have concluded his de- 
fence of the dramatic writers : having alleged every thing in their favour, 



602 EXPLANTORT NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE I. 

that could be urged plausibly, from the state of the Roman stage : the ge- 
nius of the people : and the several prevailing practices of ill taste, which had 
brought them into disrepute with the best judges. But finding himself 
obliged, in the course of this vindication of the modern stage-poets, to 
censure, as sharply as their very enemies, the vices and defects of their 
poetry ; and fearing lest this severity on a sort of writing, to which he 
himself had never pretended, might be misinterpreted as the effect of envy 
only, and a malignant disposition towards the art itself, under cover of 
pleading for its professors, he therefore frankly avows (from line 208 to 
214) his preference of the dramatic, to every other species of poetry ; de- 
claring the sovereignty of its pathos over the affections, and the magic of 
its illusive scenery on the imagination, to be the highest argument of po- 
etic excellence, the last and noblest exercise of human genius. — 209. 
Laudare maligne. "Condemn by faint praise." — 210. Ille per extentum 
funem mild posse videtur ire poeta. " That poet appears to me able to 
walk upon the tight rope," i. e. able to do any thing, to accomplish the 
most difficult undertakings in his art. The Romans, who were immo- 
derately addicted to spectacles of every kind, had in particular esteem the 
funambuli or rope-dancers. From the admiration excited by their feats, 
the expression ire per extentum funem, came to denote, proverbially, are 
uncommon degree of excellence and perfection in anything. The allu- 
sion is here made with much pleasantry, as the poet had just been rally- 
ing his countrymen on their fondness for these extraordinary achieve- 
ments. — 211. Meum qui pectus inaniter angit. " Who tortures my bo- 
som by his unreal creations," i. e. by his fictions. — 212. Falsis lerroribuS' 
implet. According to Hurd, the word inaniter, on which we have already 
remarked, as well as the epithet/aisis applied to terroribus, would express 
that wondrous force of dramatic representation, which compels us to take 
part in feigned adventures and situations, as if they were real ; and exer- 
cises the passions with the same violence in remote, fancied scenes, as in* 
the present distresses of actual life. — 214. Verum age et his, qui se lectori 
credere malunt, &c. As regards the connection in the train of ideas, 
compare the remarks of Hurd : " One thing still remained. Horace had 
taken upon himself to apologise for the Roman poets in general ; but, 
after an encomium on the office itself, he confines his defence to the wri- 
ters for the stage only. In conclusion then, he was constrained, by the 
very purpose of his address, to say a word or two in behalf of the remain- 
der of this neglected family : of those who, as the poet expresses it, had 
rather trust to the equity of the closet, than subject themselves to the caprice 
and insolence of the theatre. Now, as before in asserting the honour of 
the stage-poets, he every where supposes the emperor's disgust to have 
sprung from the wrong conduct of the poets themselves, and then extenu- 
ates the blame of such conduct, by considering, still farther, the causes 
which gave rise to it ; so he prudently observes the same method here. 
The politeness of his addresses concedes to Augustus the just offence 
he had taken to his brother-poets ; whose honour, however, he contrives 
to save, by softening the occasions of it. This is the drift of what follows, 
(from line 214 to 229), where he pleasantly recounts the several foibles 
and indiscretions of the muse ; but in a way that could only dispose the 
emperor to smile at, or at most to pity, her infirmities, not provoke his 
serious censure and disesteem. They amount, on the whole, but to 
certain idlenesses of vanity, the almost inseparable attendants of wit, 
as well as beauty ; and may be forgiven in each, as implying a strong 
desire to please, or rather as qualifying both to please. One of the most 
exceptionable of these vanities was a fond persuasion, too readily taken 
up by men of parts and genius, that preferment is the constant pay of 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— BOOK H. EPISTLE I. 60S 

merit ; and that, from the moment their talents become known to the 
public, distinction and advancement are sure to follow." 

215 — 227. 215. Spectator-is fastidia superbi. " The capricious humour 
of an arrogant spectator." — 216. Curam redde brevem. "Bestow in turn 
some little attention." — 216. Munus Apolline dvgnum. Alluding to the 
Palatine library, established by the emperor. Consult note on Epist. 1. 3. 
17. — 219. Multa quidem nobis facimus, &c. Compare note on verse 214. 
— 220. Ut vineta egomet ccedam mea. "That I may prune my own vine- 
yards," i. e. that I may be severe against myself as well as against others. 
221. Quum lasdimur, unum si q%ds amicorum, &c. Horace now touches 
upon the vanity of the poetical tribe. Compare note on verse 214. — 223. 
Quum loca jam recitata rerolvimus irrevocati. "When, unasked, we repeat 
passages already read." Tbe allusion is to the Roman custom of authors' 
reading their productions to a circle of friends or critics, in order to ascer- 
tain their opinion respecting the merits of the work submitted to their 
notice. — Irrevocati. Equivalent here to injussi. The allusion is borrowed 
from the Roman stage, where an actor was said revocari, whose perfor- 
mance gave such approbation that he was recalled by the audience for the 
purpose of repeating it, or, as we would say, was encored. — 224. JVo?i ap- 
parere. " Do not appear," i. e. are not noticed. — 225. Et tenui deducta 
poematafllo. "And our poems spun out in a fine thread," i. e. and our 
finely- wrought verses. — 227. Commodus ultra arcessas. " Thou wilt kind- 
ly, of thine own accord send for us." 

229 — 233. 229. Sed tamen est opera pretium, &c. Horace now touches 
upon a new theme. Fond and presumptuous, observes he, as are the 
hopes of poets, it may well deserve a serious consideration, who of them 
are fit to be entrusted with the glory of princes ; what ministers are worth 
retaining in the service of an illustrious virtue, whose honours demand to 
be solemnised with a religious reverence, and should not be left to the pro- 
fanation of vile and unhallowed hands. And, to support this position, he 
alleges the example of a great monarch, who had dishonoured himself by 
a neglect of this care ; of Alexander the Great, who, when master of a 
vast empire, perceived indeed the importance of gaining a poet to his ser- 
vice ; but unluckily, chose so ill, that the encomiums of the bard whom he 
selected, only tarnished the native splendour of those virtues which should 
have been presented in their fairest hues to the admiration of the world. 
In his appointment of artists, on the other hand, this prince showed a 
much truer judgment. For he suffered none but an Apelles and a Ly- 
sippus to represent the form and fashion of his person. But his taste, which 
was thus exact and refined, in what concerned the mechanical execution 
of the fine arts, took up with a Chcerilus, to transmit an image of his mind 
to future ages ; so grossly undiscerning was he in works of poetry, and the 
liberal offerings of the muse. — 230. JEdituos. "Ministers," or "keepers." 
The ccditui were those who took charge of the temples as keepers or 
overseers. — 233. Chcerilus. A poet in the train of Alexander, who is men- 
tioned also by Q,uintusCurtius, (8. 5. 8.) Ausonius, (Ep. 16.) and also by 
Acron and Porphyron. Alexander is said to have promised him a piece 
of gold for every good verse that he made in his praise. It is also stated, 
that this same poet, having, by a piece of presumption, consented to re- 
ceive a blow for every line of the Panegyric on Alexander which should be 
rejected by the judges, suffered severely for his folly. There were several 
other poets of the same name. — Incidtis qui versibus et male natis, &c 
"Who owed to his rough and ill -formed verses the Philippi, royal coin, 
that he received." Acron, in his scholium on the 357th verse of the Epistle 
54 



604 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK H. EPISTLE I. 

to the Pisos, relates, that Alexander told Choerilus he would rather be the 
Thersites of Homer, than the Achilles of Choerilus. Some commentators 
have therefore supposed, that Horace has altered the story, in order the 
better to suit his argument, and that, if Alexander did bestow any sum of 
money upon Choerilus, it was on condition that he should never write 
about him again. — Philippos. Gold pieces, with Philip's head upon them, 
thence called Philippi. 

235 — 245. 235. Sedvslutitr aetata notam labemque remittunt, &c. "But 
as ink, when touched, leaves behind it a mark and a stain, so writers, 
generally speaking, soil by paltry verse distinguished actions." — 240. 
Alius Lysippo. " Any other thanLysippus." Compare the Greek idiom 
aXAoy Avo'untov, of which this is an imitation. — Duceret arafortis Alexan- 
dri vultum simulantia. " Mould in brass the features of the valiant Alex- 
ander." Literally, " fashion the brass representing the "features, &c. 
Ducere, when applied, as in the present instance, to metal, means to- 
forge, mould, or fashion out, according to some proposed model. — 241, 
Quod si judicium subtile videndis artibus illud, &c. "But wert thou to call 
that acute perception, which he possessed in examining into other 
arts, to literary productions and to these gifts of the Muses, thou wouldst 
swear that he had been born in the thick air of the Bceotians," i. e. was 
as stupid as any Boeotian. Bceotian dulness was proverbial, but how 
justly, the names of Pindar, Epaminondas, Plutarch, and other natives 
of this country will sufficiently prove. Much of this sarcasm on the 
national character of the Boeotians is no doubt to be ascribed to the ma- 
lignant wit of their Attic neighbours. — 245. At neque dedecorant tua de 
sejudicia, &c. As regards the connection in the train of ideas, compare 
the remarks of Hurd : " The poet makes a double use of the ill judg- 
ment of Alexander. For nothing could better demonstrate the import- 
ance of poetry to the honour of greatness, than that this illustrious con- 
queror, without any particular knowledge or discernment in the art it- 
self, should think himself concerned to court its assistance. And, then, 
what could be more likely to engage the emperor's farther protection and 
love of poetry, than the insinuation (which is made with infinite address) 
that, as he honoured it equally, so fee understood its merits much better? 
For (from line 245 to 248, where, by a beautiful concurrence, the flattery 
of his prince falls in with the more honest purpose of doing justice to 
the memory of his friends) it was not the same unintelligent hberality, 
which had cherished Chcsrilus, that poured the full stream of Caesar's 
bounty on such persons as Varius and Virgil. And, as if the spirit of 
these inimitable poets had, at once, seized him, he breaks away in a 
bolder strain (from line 243 to 250) to sing the triumphs of an art, which 
expressed the manners and the mind in fuller and more durable relief, 
than painting or even sculpture had ever been able to give to the exter- 
nal figure: and (from line 250 to the end) apologises for himself in 
adopting the humbler epistolary species, when a warmth of inclination 
and the unrivalled glories of his prince were continually urging him on 
to the nobler, encomiastic poetry. 

246 — 270. 246. Multa dantis cum laude. "With high encomiums on 
the part of him who bestowed them." Dantis is here elegantly substi- 
tuted for tua. The clause may also be rendered, but with less spirit, 
"with great praise bestowed upon him who gave them," i. e. bestowed 
by those who have received the favours of their prince. — 250. Apparent. 
Equivalent to exsplendescunt. — Sermones repentes per humum. The poet 
alludes to his Satires and Epistles. — 251. Quam res componere gestas. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 605 

"Than tell of exploits." — 252. Jlrces mmtibus impositas. The allusion 
appears to be to fortresses erected by Augustus to defend the borders of 
the empire. — 253. Barbara regna. " Barbarian realms," i. e. the many- 
barbarian kingdoms subdued by thee. — 255. Claustraque custodem pacts 
cohibentia Janum. Consult note on Ode 4. 15. 8. — 258. Recipit. In the 
sense of admittit. — 260. Sediditas autem stulte, quern diligit, urguet. 
" For officiousness foolishly disgusts the person whom it loves." — 261. 
Quam se commendat. "When it strives to recommend itself." — 262. 
Discit. Equivalent here to arripit. The allusion is to the individual 
flattered or courted. — 264. Nil moror officium. "I value not that offici- 
ous respect which causes me uneasiness." Horace is generally supposed 
to introduce here Maecenas, or some other patron of the day, uttering 
these words, and expressing the annoyance occasioned by the officious- 
ness of poetical flatterers. — Ac nequeficto in pejus vultu, &c. " And nei- 
ther have I the wish to be displayed to the view in wax, with my coun- 
tenance formed for the worse," i. e. with disfigured looks. — 267. Pingui 
munere. " With the stupid present," i. e. carmine pingui Minerva facto. 
— 268. Cum scriptore meo. " With my panegyrist." — Capsa porrectus 
aperta. "Stretched out to view in an open box." — 269. Invicumvenden- 
tem. " Into the street where they sell." Literally: "into the street 
that sells." The Vicus Thurarius is meant. — 270. Chartis ineptis. The 
allusion is to writings so foolish and unworthy of perusal, as soon to 
find their way to the grocers, and subserve the humbler but more useful 
employment of wrappers for small purchases. 



Epistle 2. This Epistle is also in some degree critical. Julius Flo- 
ras, a friend of our poet's, on leaving Rome to attend Tiberius in one of 
his military expeditions, asked Horace to send him some lyric poems : 
and wrote to him afterwards, complaining of his neglect. The poet 
offers various excuses. One of these arose from the multitude of bad 
and conceited poets, with which the capital swarmed. Accordingly his 
justification is enlivened with much raillery on the vanity of contempo- 
rary authors, and their insipid compliments to each other, while the whole 
is animated with a fine spirit of criticism, and with valuable precepts for 
our instruction in poetry. — This has been parodied by Pope in the same 
style as the preceding epistle. 

1 — 9. 1. Flore. To this same individual, who formed part of the re- 
tinue of Tiberius, the third Epistle of the first Book is inscribed. — Neroni. 
Alluding to Tiberius (Claudius Tiberius Nero,) the future emperor. — 3. 
Gabiis. Consult note on Epist. 1. 11. 7. — Et tecum sic agat. "And 
should treat with thee as follows." — Hie et candidus, et talos a vertice, &c. 
" This boy is both fair and handsome from head to foot." Candidus does 
not here refer to the mind, as some commentators suppose, but to 
the complexion, and the allusion appears to be a general one, to the 
bright look of health which the slave is said to have, and wnich would 
form so important a feature in the enumeration of his good qualities. — 5. 
Fiet erilque tuus. " He shall become, and shall be, thine." An imitation 
of the technical language of a bargain. — Nummorum millibus octo. "For 
eight thousand sesterces." — 6. Verna minisleriis ad nidus aptus herilcs. 
" A slave ready in his services at his master's nod," i. e. prompt to un- 
derstand and obey every nod of his master. Verna, which is here used 
in a general sense for servus, properly denotes a slave born beneath the 
roof of his master. — 7. Literulis Gratis imbutus. "Having some little 
knowledge of Greek." This would enhance his value, as Greek was 



6U6 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 

then much spoken at Rome. It would qualify him also for the office of 
dvayvuoTTis, or reader. — 8. Jlrgilla quichis imitaberis uda. "Thou wilt 
shape any thing out of him, as out of so much moist clay," i. e. thou 
mayest mould him into any shape at pleasure, like soft clay. Horace 
here omits, according to a very frequent custom on his part, the term that 
indicates comparison, such as veluti, sicuti, or some other equivalent ex- 
pression. — 9. Quin eliam canet indoctum, scd duhebibenti. "Besides, he 
will sing in a way devoid, it is true, of skill, yet pleasing enough to one 
who is engaged over his cup." 

10 — 16. 10. Fidem levant. " Diminish our confidence in a person." 
— U. Extruder e. " To get them off his hands." To palm them off on 
another. — 12. Res urguet me nulla. "No necessity drives me to this 
step." — Meo sum pauper in are. " I am in narrow circumstances, I con- 
fess, yet owe no man any thing." A proverbial expression most proba- 
bly. — 13. Mangonum. Mango is thought by some etymologists to be 
shortened from mangano, a derivative of ndyyavov, "jugglery," "decep- 
tion." Perhaps the other meaning of ftdyyavov, "a drug," or "paint," 
would answer better, as conveying the idea of an artifice resorted to by 
the slave-dealer in order to give a fresh and healthy appearance to the 
slave offered for sale. — Non tenure a me quivis ferret idem. " It is not 
every one that would readily get the same bargain at my hands." The 
common language of knavish dealers in all ages. — 14. Semel hie cessavit, 
el, ut fit, &c. " Once, indeed, he was in fault, and hid himself behind 
the stairs, through fear of the pendent whip, as was natural enough." 
We have adopted the arrangement of Doling, by which in scalis latuit 
are joined in construction, and pendentis has a general reference to the 
whip's hanging up in any part of the house. The place behind the stairs, 
in a Roman house, was dark and fit for concealment. — 16. Excepta nihil 
te si fuga Icedit. "If his running away and hiding himself on that occa- 
sion, which I have just excepted, does not offend thee." Absconding 
was regarded as so considerable a fault in the case of a slave, that a dealer 
was obliged to mention it particularly, or the sale was void. 

17 — 25. 17. Me feral prelium, poena securus, opinor. " The slave- 
dealer may after this, I think, carry off the price, fearless of any legal 
punishment." The poet now resumes. The law could not reach the 
slave- merchant in such a case, and compel him to pay damages or refund 
the purchase-money, for he had actually spoken of the slave's having 
once been a fugitive, though he had endeavoured, by his language, to 
soften down the offence. — 18. Prudens emisti vitiosum; dicta tibi est lex. 
" Thou hast purchased, with thine eyes open, a good-for-nothing slave ; 
the condition of the bargain was expressly told thee,"i. e. his having once 
been a fugitive. — 19. Hunc. Alluding to the slave-dealer. — 20. Dixime 
pigrum proficiscenti tibi, &c. The connection in the train of ideas is as 
follows : Thou hast no better claim on me in the present instance than 
thou wouldsthave on the slave dealer in the case which I have just put. 
I told thee expressly, on thy departure from Rome, that I was one of in- 
dolent habits, and totally unfit for such tasks, and yet, notwithstanding 
this, thou complainest of my not writing to thee ! — 21. Talibvs officiis 
prope mancum. " That I was altogether unfit for such tasks." Literally, 
" that 1 was almost deprived of hands for such tasks." A strong but 
pleasing expression. — 23. Quid turn profeci, &c. "What did I gain then 
when I°told thee this, if notwithstanding, thou assailestthe very condi- 
tions that make for me ?"— -24. Super hoc. " Moreover."— 25. Mendax," 
u False to my promise." 



explanatory Motes.— Book, it. epistle h. 607 

26 — 40. 26. Luculli miles, &c. We have here the second excuse that 
Horace assigns for not writing. A poet in easy circumstances should 
make poetry no more than an amusement. — Collecta viatica multis asrumnis. 
" A little stock of money which he had got together by dint of many 
hardships." The idea implied in viatica is, something which is to fur- 
nish the means of future support, as well as of present comfort, but more 
particularly the former. — 27. Ad ass em. " Entirely," or more literally, 
" to the last penny." — 30. Prassidium regale loco dejecit, ut aiunt, &c. 
" He dislodged, as the story goes, a royal garrison, from a post very 
strongly fortified and rich in many things." The allusion in regale, is 
either to Mithridates or Tigranes, with both of whom Lucullus carried 
on war. — 32. Donis honestis. Alluding to the torques, phalerte, &c. — 33. Ac- 
cipit et bis dena super sestertia minimum. " He receives, besides, twenty 
thousand sesterces." — 34. Praetor. " The general." The term praetor 
is here used in its earlier acception. It was originally applied to all who 
exercised either civil or military authority : (Praetor : is qui prosit jure et 
exercitu.) — 36. Timido quoque. " Even to a coward." — 39. Post haze ille 
catus, quantumvis rusticus itiquit. " Upon this, the cunning fellow, a 
mere rustic though he was, replied." — 40. Zonam. "His purse." The 
girdle or belt served sometimes for a purse. More commonly, however, 
the purse hung from the neck. Horace applies this story to his own 
case. The soldier fought bravely, as long as necessity drove him to the 
step; when, however, he made good his losses, he concerned himself no 
more about venturing on desperate enterprises. So the poet, while his 
means were contracted, wrote verses for a support. Now, however, that 
he has obtained a competency, the inclination for verse has departed. 

41 — 45. 41. Romas nutriri mihi contigit. Horace came to Rome with 
his father, at the age of nine or ten years, and was placed under the in- 
struction of Orbilius Pupillus. — 42. Indus Graiis quantum nocuisset 
Achilles. The poet alludes to the Iliad of Homer, which he read at 
school with his preceptor, and with which the Roman youth began their 
studies. — 43. Bonos Alhenae. " Kind Athens." The epithet here applied 
to this celebrated city is peculiarly pleasing. The poet speaks of it in 
the language of fond and grateful recollection, for the benefits which he 
there received in the more elevated departments of instruction.— Artis. 
The term ars is here used in the sense of doctrina, "learning," and the 
reference is to the philosophical studies pursued by Horace in the capital 
of Attica. — 44. Scilicet ut possem curvo dignoscere rectum. "That I might 
be able, namely, to distinguish a straight line from a curve." The poet 
evidently alludes to the geometrical studies which were deemed abso- 
lutely necessary, by the followers of the Academy, to the under- 
standing of the sublime doctrines that were taught within its precincts. 
— 45. Silvas Academi. Alluding to the school of Plato. The place, 
which the philosopher made choice of for this purpose, was a public 
grove, called Academus, which received its appellation, according to 
some, from Hecademus, who left it to the citizens for the purpose of 
gymnastic exercises. Adorned with statues, temples, and sepulchres, 
planted with lofty plane-trees, and intersected by a gentle stream, it af- 
forded a delightful retreat for philosophy and the muses. Within this 
enclosure Plato possessed, as a part of his humble patrimony, purchased 
at the price of three thousand drachma?, a small garden, in which he 
opened a school for the reception of those who might be inclined to at- 
tend his instructions. Hence the name Academy, given to the school 
of this philosopher, and which it retained long after his decease. 



603 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 

47 — 52. 47. Civilis astus. " The tide of civil commotion." — 48. 
Ccesaris Jlugusti non responsura lacertis. "Destined to prove an un- 
equal match for the strength of Augustus Caesar." — 49. Simul. For 
simul ac. — Philippi. Philippi, the scene of the memorable conflicts 
which closed the last struggle of Roman freedom, was a city of Thrace, 
built by Philip of Macedon, on the site of the old Thasian colony of 
Crenidse, and in the vicinity of mount Pangseus. The valuable gold 
and silver mines in its immediate neighbourhood rendered it a place of 
great importance. Its ruins still retain the name of Filibah. — 50. Deci- 
sis humilem pennis, inopemque, &c. "Brought low with clipped wings, 
and destitute of a paternal dwelling and estate," i. e. and stripped of 
my patrimony. — 51. Paupertas impulit audax, &c. We must not under- 
stand these words literally, as if Horace never wrote verses before the 
battle of Philippi, but that, he did not apply himself to poetry, as a pro- 
fession, before that time. — 52. Sed, quod non desit, habentem, quae pote- 
runt unquam satis expugare cicutce, &c. " But, what doses of hemlock 
will ever sufficiently liberate me from my frenzy, now that I have all 
which is sufficient for my wants, if I do not think it better to rest than 
to write verses," i. e. but now, having a competency for all my wants, I 
should be a perfect madman to abandon a life of tranquillity, and set 
up again for a poet, and no hemlock would be able to expel my frenzy. 
Commentators are puzzled to know how a poison, like hemlock, could 
ever have been taken as a remedy. Taken in a large quantity it is un- 
doubtedly fatal, and it was employed in this way by the Athenians for 
the purpose of despatching criminals, as the history of Socrates testifies ; 
but when employed in small portions it was found to be a useful medi- 
cine. Horace speaks of it here as a frigorific. 

55 — 64. 55. Singula de nobis anni prmdantur euntes ; "The years 
that go by rob us of one thing after another." Horace now brings for- 
ward his third reason for not continuing to write verses. He was at 
this time in his fifty-first year, and too old for the task. — 57. Tendunt 
extorquere poemata. " They are now striving to wrest from me poetry," 
i. e. to deprive me of my poetic powers. — Quid faciam vis ? " What 
wouldst thou have me do? i. e. on what kind of verse wouldst thou 
have me employ myself? — 58. Denique non omnes eademmirantur amant- 
que. The difference of tastes among mankind furnishes Horace with a 
fourth excuse, such as it is, for not writing. The poet, however, knew 
his own powers too well to be much, if at all, in earnest here. — 59. Car- 
mine. " In Lyric strains."' — 60. Bioneis sermonibus el sale nigro. " With 
satires written in the manner of Bion, and with the keenest raillery." 
The individual here referred to under the name of Bion, is the same that 
was surnamed Borysthenites, from his native place Borysthenes. He was 
both a philosopher and a poet ; but, as a poet, remarkable for his bitter 
and virulent satire. He belonged to the Cyrenaic sect. — Sale nigro. 
The epithet, nigro is here used with a peculiar reference to the severity 
of the satire with which an individual is assailed. In the same sense the 
verses of Archilochus (Epist. 1. 19. 3.) are termed atri. — 61. Tres mihi 
convivoz prope dissentire videntur. " They appear to me to differ almost 
like three guests." The particle of comparison (veluti or sicuti) is again 
omitted, in accordance with the frequent custom of Horace. Consult 
note on verse 8. The parties, who appear to the poet to differ in the 
way that he describes, are ihose whose respective tastes in matters of 
poetry he has just been describing. — 64. Invisum. "Of unpleasant sa- 
vour." 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 609 

65 — 74. 65. Praeter cetera. "Above all." Equivalent to prae caete- 
ris aliis. The reason here assigned is not, like the last, a mere pretext. 
The noise and bustle of a great city, and the variety of business trans- 
acted there, occasion such distraction of spirit as must ever greatly dis- 
turb a poet's commerce with the muse. — 67. Hie sponsum vocat. " This 
one calls me to go bail for him." — Auditum scripta, " To hear him read 
his works." Alluding to the custom of an author's reading his produc- 
tions before friends, and requesting their opinions upon the merits of the 
piece or pieces. — 68. Cubat. "Lies sick." Compare Serm. 1. 9. 18. 
— In colle Quirini hie extreme- in Aventjno. The Mons Quirinalis was at 
the northern extremity ofthe city : and the Mons Aventinus, at the south- 
ern. Hence the pleasantry ofthe expression which follows: u intervalla 
humane commoda." — 70. Intervalla humane commoda. " A comfortable 
distance for a man to walk." — Verum purae sunt plateae, &c. The poet 
here supposes Florus, or some other person, to urge this in reply. 'Tis 
true, it is a long way between the CLuirinal and Aventine, " but then the 
streets are clear," and one can meditate uninterrupted by the way. — 72. 
Festinat calidus mulis gerulisque redemtor. The poet rejoins : Aye, in- 
deed, the streets are very clear : " A builder, for instance, in a great 
heat, hurries along with his mules and porters." Calidus may be rendered 
more familiarly ; " puffing and blowing." — Redemtor. By this term is 
meant a contractor or master-builder. Compare Ode 3. 1. 35. — 73. 
Torquet nunc lapidem, nunc ingens machina tignum. " A machine rears 
at one moment a stone, at another a ponderous beam." Torquet does 
not here refer, as some commentators suppose, to the dragging along of 
the articles alluded to, but to their being raised on high, either by means 
of a windlass or a combination of pulleys. — 74. Tristia robuslis luctau- 
txirfunera plaustris. Horace elsewhere takes notice ofthe confusion and 
tumult occasioned at Rome by the meeting of funerals and waggons. 
Sat. 1. 6. 42. 

78 — 85. 78. Rite cliens Bacchi. " Due worshippers of Bacchus." i. e. 
duly enrolled among the followers of Bacchus. This deity, as well as 
Apollo, was regarded as a tutelary divinity of the poets, and one ofthe 
summits of Parnassus was sacred to him. — 80. Et contacta sequi vestigia 
vatum ? " And to tread close in the footsteps of genuine bards, until I 
succeed in coming up with them?" — 81. Ingenium, sibi quod vacuas 
desumsit Athenas. " A man of genius, who has chosen for himself the 
calm retreat of Athens." Ingenium quod is here put for Ingeniosus qui. 
As regards the epithet vacuas, consult note on Epist. 1. 7. 45. The con- 
nection in the train of ideas should be here carefully noted. It had been 
objected to Horace, that he might very well make verses in walking 
along the streets. He is not satisfied with showing that this notion is 
false ; he will also show it to be ridiculous. For, says he, at Athens it- 
self, a city of but scanty population compared with Rome, a man of 
genius, who applies himself to study, who has run through a course of 
philosophy, and spent seven years among books, is yet sure to encounter 
the ridicule of the people, if he comes forth pensive and plunged in 
thought. How then can any one imagine that I should follow this line 
of conduct at Rome ? Would they not have still more reason to deride 
me? Horace says ingenium, •' a man of genius," in order to give his 
argument the more strength. For, if such a man could not escape ridi- 
cule even in Athens, a city accustomed to the ways and habits of philo- 
sophers, how could the poet hope to avoid it at Rome, a city in every re- 
spect so different ? — 84. Hie. Referring to Rome. — 85. Et tempestatibus 
urbis. " And the tempestuous hurry of the city." 



610 EXPLANATORY NOTES. -BOOK II. EFIST1E IF. 

87 — 94. 87. Auctor erat Romce consullo rhetor, &c. " A rhetorician, 
at Rome, proposed to a lawyer, that the one should hear, in whatever the 
other said, nothing but praises of himself," i. e. that they should be con- 
stantly praising one another. Horace here abruptly passes to another 
reason for not composing verses, the gross flattery, namely, which the 
poets of the day were wont to lavish upon one another. There were, 
says he, two persons at Rome, a rhetorician and a lawyer, who agreed to 
bespatter each other with praise whenever they had an opportunity. The 
lawyer was to call the rhetorician a most eloquent man, a second Grac- 
chus ; the rhetorician was to speak of the profound learning of the law- 
yer, and was to style him a second Mucius. Just so, observes Horace, 
do the poets act at the present day. — 89. Gracchus. The allusion is to 
Tiberius Gracchus, of whose powers, as a public speaker, Cicero makes 
distinguished mention in his Brutus, c. 27. — Mucins. Referring to Q,. 
Mucius Scaevola, the distinguished lawyer, who is called by Cicero, 
" Jurisperitorum eloquentissimus et eloquentium jurisperitissimus." ( Or. 
1. 3.) — 90. Qui minus argutos vexat furor iste pottas ? "In what respect 
does that madness exercise less influence upon the melodious poets of 
the day ?" The epithet argutos is ironical. By furor is meant the desire 
of being lauded by others, amounting to a perfect madness. — 91. Carmina 
comporio, hie elegos. The poet, in order the better to laugh at them, here 
numbers himself among his brother bards, as one influenced by the same 
love of praise. If I, observes he, compose odes, and another one elegies, 
what wonders in their way, what masterpieces of skill, finished by the 
very hands of the muses themselves, do our respective productions ap- 
pear to each other ! — 92. Calatumque novem Musis. " And polished by 
the hands of the nine Muses." — 93. Quanta cum faslu, quanto cum moli- 
mine, &c. " With what a haughty look, with how important an air, 
do we survey the temple of Apollo, open to Roman bards." A laughable 
description of poetic vanity. — 94. Vacuum Romanis vatibus. Equivalent 
to palentem poetis Romanis. The allusion is to the temple of Apollo, 
where the poets were accustomed to read their productions. 

95—107. 95. Sequere. "Follow us within." Equivalent to sequere 
nos in templum. — 96. Ferat. In the sense of proferat, i. e. recitet. — 97. 
Cadimur, et totidem plagis consumimus hostem, &c. " Like Samnite gla- 
diators, in slow conflict, at early candle light, we receive blows and wear 
out our antagonist by as many in return." These bad poets, paying 
their compliments to each other, are pleasantly compared to gladiators 
fighting with foils. The battle is perfectly harmless, and the sport conti- 
nues a long time, (lento duello.) These diversions were usually at enter- 
tainments, by early candle-light, and the gladiators were armed like 
ancient Samnites. Consult note on Ode 2. 13. 26. — Punctoillius. "By 
his vote," i. e. in his estimation. The allusion is to the mode of counting 
the votes at the Roman comitia, by means of dots "or points. Compare 
Epist. ad Pis. 343. " Omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci." — 101. 
Mimnermus. Compare Epist. 1. 6. 65. — 101. Et optivo cognomine crescit. 
" And increases in importance through the wished-for appellation." — 104. 
Finitis studiis, et mente recepta. " Having finished my poetical studies, 
and recovered my reason." — 105. Impune. "Boldly." "Without fear of 
their resentment. — 107. Gaudent scribentes, et se venerantur, &c. The 
pleasure of making verses, observes Sanadon, is a great temptation, but 
it is a dangerous pleasure. Every poet, in the moment of writing, fan- 
cies he performs wonders ; but when the ardour of imagination has gone 
by, a good poet will examine his work in cool blood, and shall find it sink 
greatly in hjs own esteem. On the other band, the more a bad poet reads 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 611 

his productions over, the more he is charmed with them, se veneraiur 
amatque. 

109 — 114. 109. At qui legitimum cupiet feclsse poema. Horace, after 
having described, in amusing colours, the vanity and conceit of bad poets, 
now draws a picture of a good one, and lays down some excellent precepts 
for the guidance of writers. This is a continuation of his reasoning. He 
has shown that a poet, foolishly pleased with his own works, draws upon 
himself ridicule and contempt, and he here speaks of the great exertion re- 
quisite to give value to a poem. Hence he concludes that poetry is a task 
in which no wise and prudent man will ever engage. — Legitimum poema. 
" A genuine poem," i. e. one composed in accordance with all the rules 
and precepts of art. — 1 10. Cum tabulis animum censoris honesti. The idea 
intended to be conveyed is this, that such a writer as the one here describ- 
ed will take his waxed tablets, on which he is going to compose his strains, 
with the same feeling that an impartial critic will take up the tablets that 
are to contain his criticisms. For, as a fair and honest critic will mark 
whatever faults are deserving of being noted, so a good poet will correct 
whatever things appear in his own productions worthy of correction. — 1 1 1. 
Audebii. "He will not hesitate." — 113. Movere loco. "To remove." 
We would say, in our modern phraseology, "to blot out." — 114. Intra 
penetralia Vestaz. " Within the inmost sanctuary of Vesta," i. e. within 
the recesses of his cabinet or closet. Penetralia Vesica is a figurative ex- 
pression. None but the Pontifex Maximus was allowed to enter within 
the inmost shrine of the temple of Vesta, and with this sacred place is the 
poet's cabinet compared. Here his works are in a privileged abode, inac- 
cessible to the criticisms of the public, and it is here that the poet himself 
should act the part of a rigid censor, retrench whatever is superfluous, and 
give the finishing hand to his pieces. 

115 — 124. 115. Obscurata diu populo bonus eruet, &c. The order of 
construction is as follows : Bonus (poeta vel scriptor) eruet atque in lucem 
proferet populo, cui illndiu obscurata sunt, speciosavocabida rerum, quwjmemo- 
rata priscis Catonibus alque Cetkegis, informis situs et deserta vetustas nunc 
premit. — 116. Speciosa. "Expressive." — 117. Memorata. "Used." Equi- 
valent to usurpala. — Priscis Catonibus atque Cethegis. Cato the censor is 
here meant, and the epithet applied to him is intended to refer to his ob- 
servance of the plain and austere manners of the 'olden time.' Compare 
Ode 3. 21. 11. The other allusion is to M. Cethegus, who was consul A. 
U. C. 548, and of whom Cicero makes mention, de Senect. 14. — 1 18. Situs 
informis. "Unsightly mould." — 119. Qwce genitor produxerit usus. 
" Which usage, the parent of language, shall have produced." Compare 
Epist. ad Pis. 71. seqq. — 120. Vehemens. To be pronounced, in metrical 
reading, vemens. — 121. Fundet opes. "He will pour forth his treasures." 
By opes we must here understand a rich abundance of words and senti- 
ments. — 122. Luxuriantia compescet. "He will retrench every luxuri- 
ance." — 123. Levabit. " He will polish." — Virtute carentia. "Whatever 
is devoid of elegance." — Toilet. Equivalent to delebit. Consult note on 
Sat. 1. 4. 11. — 124. Ludentis speciem dabit, et torquebitur, &c. "He will 
exhibit the appearance of one sporting, and will keep turning about as he, 
who one while dances the part of a satyr, at another that of a clownish 
Cyclops." A figurative allusion to the pantomimes of the day, in v/hich 
they expressed by dancing, and the movement of their bodies, the passions, 
thoughts and actions of any character they assumed ; as, for example, that 
of a satyr, or of a cyclops. Consult note on Sat. 1. 5. 63. The idea in- 
tended to be conveyed by the whole passage is this : that, as the actor who 



G12 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 

dances the part of a satyr, or a cyclops, throws himself into different atti- 
tudes, and moves his limbs in various ways, so he who composes verses 
should transpose, vary, bring forward, draw back, and, in general, keep 
shifting, his words and expressions in every possible variety of way. 

126 — 140. 126. Prcetalerhn scriptor delirus inersque videri, &c. " For 
my own part, I had rather be esteemed a foolish and dull writer, provided 
my own faults please me, or at least escape my notice, than be wise and 
a prey to continual vexation." The poet means, that he would rather 
be a bad poet, if he could only imagine himself the contrary, than a gflod 
one at the expense of so much toil and vexation. As regards the force 
of the subjunctive in prcetulerim, which we have endeavoured to express 
in the translation, compare Zumpt. L. G. p. 331. Kenrick's trans. 2d ed. 
— 128. Rlngi. The deponent ringor literally means, " to show the teeth 
like a dog," "to snarl." It is then taken in a figurative sense, and sig- 
nifies, " to fret, chafe, or fume," &c. — Fuit haud ignobilis Jlrgis, &c. The 
poet here gives an amusing illustration of what he has just been assert- 
ing. Aristotle (de Mirab. Jluscult. init.) tells a similar story, but makes 
it to have happened at Abydos. — 131. Servaret. "Discharged." In 
the sense of observaret, or exsequereiur. — 134. Et signo Iceso non insanire 
lagenm. "And would not rave if the seal of a bottle were broken." 
The ancients generally sealed a full bottle or flask, to prevent their 
slaves from stealing the wine. — 137. Elleboro. Consult note on Sat. 
2. 3. 82. — Morhim. Alluding to his madness, which the addition of 
bilem serves more clearly to indicate. Hence the expression atra bills, 
so frequently used in the sense of insania. — 140. In place of the common 
reading per vim, we have adopted the singularly elegant one which Za- 
rot's edition presents, in behalf of which we will give the words of Ges- 
ner : " Pulcherrimam sententiam parit lectio Zaroti ; qua preiium mentis 
dicitur error gratissimus : g. d. facile aliquis sana mente careat, ut tam 
jucundo errore fruatur. 

141 — 156. 141. Nimirum sapere est abjectis utile nugis, &c. "Such 
being the case, it certainly is better for us to renounce trifles and turn to 
the precepts of wisdom, and to leave to youth those amusements which 
are more suited to their age." The poet now takes a more serious view 
of the subject, and this forms the seventh excuse. He has put it last 
that he might more naturally fall into the vein of morality which con- 
cludes his epistle. He would convince us, that good sense does not 
consist in making verses, and ranging words in poetical harmony, but 
in regulating our actions according to the better harmony of wisdom and 
virtue. " Sed vera, numerosque modosque ediscere vitce." — 145. Quocirca 
mecum loquor hctc, tacitusque recordor. " It is for this reason that I com- 
mune as follows with myself, and silently revolve in my own mind." 
The remainder of the epistle is a conversation which thep^et holds with 
himself. This soliloquy is designed to make his reasons come with a 
better grace to his friend, and enable Horace the more easily to correct 
his ambition, avarice, and those other vices to which he was subject. — ■ 
146. Si tibi nulla silim finiret copiu lymplue, &c. This was a way of rea- 
soning employed by the philosopher Aristippus, as Plutarch has pre- 
served it for us in his Treatise against Avarice. He who eats and drinks 
a great deal, without allaying his appetite, has recourse to physicians, 
wants to know his malady, and what is to be done for a cure. But the 
man, who has already five rich beds, and thirsts after ten ; who has large 
possessions and store of money, yet is never satisfied but still desires 
more, and spends day and night in heaping up : this mam, I say, never 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 613 

dreams of applying for relief, or of enquiring after the cause of his ma- 
lady. — 151. Audieras, cuirem di donarent, &c. The stoics taught that 
the wise man alone was rich. But there were others who overturned 
this doctrine, and maintained the direct contrary. Horace, therefore, 
reasons against this latter position, and endeavours to show its absurdity. 
Thou hast been always told that riches banished folly, and that to be 
rich and to be wise were the same ; but thou hast satisfied thyself that the 
increase of thy riches has added nothing to thy wisdom ; and yet thou 
art still hearkening to the same deceitful teachers. — 152. Mi decedere. 
Equivalent to ah eo fugere. — 153. Et quwn sis nihilo sapientior, ex quo 
plenior es. " And though thou art nothing wiser, since thou art become 
richer." — 156. Nempe. " Then indeed." 

158, 159. 158. Si proprium est, quod quis libra mercatus et cere est, 
&c. " If what one buys with all the requisite formalities is his own pro- 

})erty ; on the other hand, there are certain things, to which, if thou be- 
ievest the lawyers, use gives a right." The expression quod quis libra 
mercatus et are est (literally, " what one has purchased with the balance 
and piece of money,") refers to the Roman mode of transferring pro- 
perty. In the reign of Servius Tullius money was first coined at Rome, 
and that, too, only of brass. Previous to this every thing went by 
weight. In the alienation therefore of property by sale, as well as in 
other transactions where a sale, either real or imaginary, formed a part, 
the old Roman custom was always retained, even as late as the days of 
Horace, and later. A libripens, holding a brazen balance, was always 
present at these formalities, and the purchaser, having a brazen coin in 
his hand, struck the balance with this, and then gave it to the other 
party by way of price. — '159. Mancipat usus. To prevent the perpetual 
vexation of law-suits, the laws wisely ordained, that possession and 
enjoyment for a certain number of years, should confer a title to pro- 
perty. This is what the lawyers term the right of prescription, usu- 
capio. 

160 — 166. 160. Qm te pascit ager, tuns est. The poet is here argu- 
ing against the folly of heaping up money with a view to purchase 
lands ; and contends, that they who have not one foot of ground, are 
yet, in fact, proprietors of whatever lands yield the productions which 
they buy. — Orbi. The individual here alluded to appears to have been 
some wealthy person, whose steward sold annually for him large quan- 
tities of grain and other things, the produce of his extensive posses- 
sions. — 161. Q,uum segetes occat. " When he harrows the fields." By 
segeles is here meant the arable land, which is getting prepared by the 
harrow for the reception of the grain. — 162. Te dominum sentlt. " Feels 
that thou art the true lord of the soil," i. e. well knows that the produce 
is intended for thee, and that, thus far, thou art, to all intents and pur- 
poses, the true owner. — 165. Emlum. Purchased originally by Orbius ; 
but to which thou also hast, in one sense, acquired the title of pro- 
prietor, not indeed by a single large payment, like that of Orbius, but 
by the constant purchase of the produce of the land. — 166. Quidrefert, 
vivas mtmerato nuper an olim ? &c. The idea intended to be conveyed 
is this : What difference does it make, whether thou livest on money 
laid out just now, or several years ago ? (i. e. whether the articles on 
which thou art feeding were purchased just now from the lands of an- 
other, or whether they are the produce of lands bought by thee many 
years since.) He who purchased, some time ago, possessions situate in 
the neighbourhood either of Aricia or of Veii, pays, as well as thou, for 



614 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — BOOK II. EPISTLE II. 

the plate of herbs he sups on, though perhaps he fancies quite other- 
wise ; he boils his pot at night with wood that he has bought even as 
thou dost. And, though, when he surveys his possessions, he says, 
' this land is mine,' yet the land, in fact, is not his, any more than it is 
thine ; for how can that be called the property of any one, which in the 
short space of an hour, may change masters, and come into the posses- 
sion of another by gift, by sale, by violence, or by death ? — Numerate. 
Supply nummo. 

167 — 172. 167. Aricini. For an account of Aricia, consult note on 
Sat. 1. 5. 1. — Veientis. The city of Veii was one of the most famous in 
ancient Etruria. It lay to the north-east of Rome, but its exact posi- 
tion was never clearly ascertained until Holstenius directed the atten- 
tion of antiquaries to the spot known by the name of VIsola Farnese, 
and situate about a mile and a half to the north-east ot the modern post- 
house of la Storta. — 170. Sed vocat usque suum, qua populus adsita, &c. 
" And yet he calls the land his own, as far as where the planted poplar 
prevents quarrels among neighbours, by means of the limit which it 
fixes." Usque must be joined in construction with qua, as if the poet 
had said usque eo quo. — 171. Refugit. The peculiar force of the perfect 
here is worthy of notice. Literally, " has hitherto prevented, and still 
continues to prevent."' — 172. Sit proprium. " Can be a lasting posses- 
sion." — Puncto mobilis horn. " In a fleeting hour's space," i. e. in the 
short space of a single hour. 

175 — 182. 175. Et heres heredem alterius velut unda supervenit undam, 
" And one man's heir urges on another's, as wave impels wave." The 
Latinity of alterius, which Bentley and Cuningham have both questioned, 
(the former reading alternis, and the latter ulterior,) is, notwithstanding 
the objections of these critics, perfectly correct. The poet does not refer to 
two heirs merely, but to a long succession of them, and in this line of de- 
scent, only two individuals are each time considered, namely, the last and 
the present possessor. — 177. Vici. "Farms." — Quidve Calabris saltibus 
adjecti Lucani ? " Or what, Lucanian joined to Calabrian pastures," i. e. 
so wide in extent as to join the pastures of Calabria. — 178. Si metit Orcus 
grandia cum parvis, &c. " If death, to be moved by no bribe, mows down 
alike the high and the lowly." — ISO. Marmor, ebur. The allusion is to 
works in marble and ivory — Tyrrhena sigilla. " Tuscan vases." The 
term sigilla properly denotes small statues or figures ; the reference here, 
however, is to the small figures that appear on vases, or, in other words, 
to the vases themselves. The Etrurians excelled in the different branches 
of the plastic art. — Tabellas. "Paintings." Understand pictas. — 181. 
Jlrgentum. Vases, and other like articles, of silver are meant. — Vestes 
Gcetulo murice tinctas. "Coverings and tapestry stained with Geetulian 
purple." By vestes are here meant the coverings of couches, (vestes stra- 
gulce, ) and hangings for the walls of banqueting-rooms, &c. (peripetasmata.) 
— Go&tulo murice. Gsetulia, a part of Africa, is here put for the whole 
country. Consult note on Ode 1. 23. 10, and, as regards the purple here 
spoken of, Ode 2. 16. 35. — 182. Est qui -non curat habere. To show how 
unnecessary these things are, the poet says there are many people who 
never give themselves any trouble or concern about them. The indicative 
after est qui is an imitation of the Greek idiom. 

183 — 189. 183. Cur alter fratrum cessare, &c. The connection in the 
train of ideas is as follows : The dispositions of men are widely at vari- 
ance with each other ; and this discrepancy shows itself even in the case 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK II. EPISTLE IL 615 

of brothers ; for it often happens that one is a careless and effeminate pro- 
digal, the other a close and toiling miser. Why this is so, is a secret known 
only to the Genius who presides at our birth, and guides the course of our 
existence. — Cessare et ludere et ungi. The infinitives here must be ren- 
dered in our idiom by nouns : " Ease and pleasure and perfumes." — 184. 
Herodis palmetis pinguibus. " To the rich palm-groves of Herod." These 
were in the country around Jericho, and were regarded as constituting 
some of the richest possessions of the Jewish monarch. — 185. Importunus. 
" Morose." — Ad umbram lucis ab ortu. " From the dawn of day to the 
shades of evening." — 186. Silvestrem. " Overrun with underwood." — 
Mitlget. " Subdues," i. e. clears, and renders productive. — 187. Scit 
Genius, natale comes qui temperat astruvi, &c. This is generally regarded 
as the locus classicus respecting the ideas entertained by the ancients rela- 
tive to what they considered the Genius of each individual. We learn 
from it the following particulars: 1. The Genius was supposed to ac- 
company a person wherever he went. 2. He governed the horoscope of 
the party, (natale temper avit astrum,) exerting himself to avert any evil 
which one's natal star might portend, or to promote any good which it 
might indicate. 3. He is styled "Naturce deus humana:," because he lives 
and dies with us. 4. He is angry if we oppose or resist his influence, but 
mild and gentle if we submit to his sway, (mutabilis, albus el ater.) — 
Natale comes qui temperat astrum. " Our constant attendant, who governs 
our horoscope." — 188. Naturce deus humance, mortalis, &c. "The god of 
human nature, who dies with each individual ; mutable of aspect, benign or 
offended." The expression mortalis in unumquodque caput, is added by 
the poet for the purpose of explaining the words naturae, deus humance, i. e. 
the god, who, equally with man, is subject to the power of death. — 
189. Vultu mutabilis, albus et ater. Compare note on verse 187, toward 
the end. 

190 — 197. 190. Utar. " I will, therefore, enjoy what I at present 
have." Understand quccsitis. — Ex modico acervo. " From my little heap." 
• — 191. Nee meluam, quid de me judicet heres, &c. " Nor will I care 
what opinion my heir may form of" me, from his having found no more 
left to him than what is actually given," i. e. when he shall find the 
amount which is left him to be so small. — 193. Scire volam. " Will ever 
wish to know," i. e. will never forget. Gesner makes this expression 
equivalent to ostendam me scire. — Quantum simplex hilarisque, &c. The 
poet's maxim was to pursue the golden mean, auream mediocritatem. — 
197. Festis quinquatribus. " During the holidays of Minerva." The 
quinquatria were festal days in honour of Minerva's nativity, this goddess 
having, according to Mythological tradition, come into the world on the 
nineteenth day of March. They were five in number, being counted 
from the 19th and lasting until the 23d of the month. During this pe- 
riod there was a joyful vacation for the Roman school-boys. 

199 — 215. 199. Pauperies immunda procul procul absit, &c. The poet, 
estimating happiness by the golden mean, wishes neither to glitter amid 
affluence, nor be depressed and humbled by poverty, but, as he himself 
beautifully expresses it, to be primm-um extremus et prior extremis. — 201. 
Non agimur tumidis velis aquilone secundo, &c. " We are not, it is true, 
wafted onward with sails swelled by the propitious gales of the north ; 
and yet, at the same time, we do not pursue the course of existence with 
the winds of the south blowing adverse." — 203. Specie. " In external 
appearance." — Loco. " In station." — Re. " In fortune." Supply fa- 
mUiarL — 204. Extremi primorum, &c. A metaphor borrowed from races. 
55 



bib EXPLANATORY NOTES.-— EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

• — 205. AM. " Depart," i. e. if this be true, depart; I acquit thee of 
the charge. — Isto cum liitio. Alluding to avarice. — 208. Somnia. Horace 
here ranks dreams with magic illusions and stories of nocturnal appari- 
tions. This is the more remarkable, as Augustus was of a different way 
of thinking, and paid so great an attention to them as not to overlook 
even what others had dreamt concerning him. — Miracida. The Epicu- 
reans laughed at the common idea about miracles, which they supposed 
were performed by the general course of nature, without any interposi- 
tion on the part of the gods. — 209. Nocturnos Lemures. " Nocturnal 
apparitions." — Portentaque Thessala. Thessaly Was famed for producing 
in abundance the various poisons and herbs that, were deemed most, effi- 
cacious in magic rites. Hence the reputed skill of the Thessalian sor- 
cerers. — 212. "Spinis depluribus Una. The term spina is by a beautiful 
figure applied to the vices and failings that bring with them compunc- 
tion of conscience and disturb our repose. — 213. Dece.de peritis. " Give 
place to those that do." There is a time to retire, as well as to appear. 
An infirm and peevish old age is always the object either of compassion 
or of raillery. It is therefore the height of wisdom to seek only the so- 
ciety of those whose age and temper are congenial with our own. The 
poet wishes to make Floras both wiser and happier. — Vivere recte 
means, to live contented with the pleasures that are in our power, and 
not to mar them by chagrin, and the disquieting emotions that are inci- 
dent to ambition, desire, and superstitious fear. — 215. JVs potum largius 
aquo, &c. " Lest that age, on which mirth and festivity sit with a better 
grace, laugh at thee having drunk more than enough^ and drive thee 
from the stage." 



EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 



This celebrated work of Horace, commonly called the Ars Poetica, is 
Usually considered as a separate and insulated composition, but may be 
more properly regarded as the third epistle of the present book ; since, 
like the others, it is chiefly critical, and addressed to the Pisos ill an 
epistolary form. These friends of the author were a father and two 
sons. The father was a senator, of considerable note and distinguished 
talents, who was consul in 739. He was a man of pleasure, who passed 
his evenings at table, and slept till noon ; but he possessed such capa- 
city for business, that the remainder of the day sufficed for the despatch 
of those important affairs with which he was successively entrusted by 
Augustus and Tiberius. Of the sons little is accurately known, and 
there seems no reason why a formal treatise on the art of poetry should 
have been addressed either to them or to the father. As the subjects of 
Horace's epistles, however, have generally some reference to the situation 
and circumstances of the individuals with whose names they are in- 
scribed, it has been conjectured that this work was composed at the 
desire of Piso, the father, in order to dissuade his elder son from indulg- 
ing his inclination for writing poetry, for which he was probably but ill 
qualified, by exposing the ignominy of bad poets, and by pointing out 
the difficulties of the art ; which our author, accordingly, has displayed 
under the semblance of instructing him in its precepts. This conjee- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 617 

ture, first formed by Wieland, and adopted by Colman, is chiefly 
founded on the argument, that Horace, having concluded all that he 
had to say on the history and progress of poetry, and general precepts 
of the art, addresses the remainder of the epistle, on the nature, expe^ 
diency. and difficulty of poetical pursuits, to the elder of the brothers 
alone, who, according to this theory, either meditated or had actually 
written a poetical work, probably a tragedy, which Horace wishes to 
dissuade him from completing and publishing, 

" major juvenum, qicamvis et voce /wferna," &c. 

It has been much disputed whether Horace, in writing the present work, 
intended to deliver instructions on the whole art of poetry, and criticisms 
on poets in general, or if his observations be applicable only to certain 
departments of poetry, and poets of a particular period. The opinion 
of the most ancient scholiasts on Horace, as Acron and Porphyrion, 
was, that it comprehended precepts on the art in general, but that these 
had been collected from the works of Aristotle, Neoptolemus of Paros, 
and other Greek critics, and had been strung together by the Latin poet 
in such a manner as to form a medley of rules without any systematic 
plan or arrangement. This notion was adopted by the commentators 
who flourished after the revival of literature, as Roborteilus, Jason de 
Nores, and the elder Scaliger, who concurred in treating it as a loose, 
vague, and desultory composition ; and this opinion continued to pre- 
vail in France as late as the time of Dacier. Others have conceived, 
that the epistle under consideration comprises a complete system of 
poetry, and flatter themselves they can trace in it, from beginning to 
end, a regular and connected plan. D. Heinsius stands at the head of 
this class, and he maintains, that, wherever we meet with an apparent 
confusion or irregularity, it has been occasioned by the licentious trans^ 
positions of the copyists. The improbability, however, that such a 
writer would throw out his precepts at random, and the extreme diffi- 
culty, on the other hand, of reducing it to a regular and systematic trea- 
tise on poetry, with perfect coherence in all its parts, have induced other 
critics to-believe, either that this piece contains but fragments of what 
Horace designed, which was Pope's opinion, or that the author had only 
an aim at one department of poetry, or class of poets. Of all the theo- 
ries on this subject, the most celebrated in its day, though now sup- 
planted by the theory of Wieland, is that which refers every thing to the 
history and progress of the Roman drama, and its actual condition in 
the author's time. Lambinus, and Baxter in his edition of Horace, had 
hinted at this notion, which has been fully developed by Hurd, in his 
excellent commentary and notes on the present epistle, where he under- 
takes to show, that not only the general tenour of the work, but every 
single precept, bears reference to the drama; and that, if examined in 
this point of view, it will be found to be a regular, well-conducted piece, 
uniformly tending to lay open the state and remedy the defects of the 
Roman stage. According to this critic, the subject is divided into three 
portions : Of these, the first (from verse 1 to 89) is preparatory to the 
main subject of the epistle, containing some general rules and reflec- 
tions on poetry, but principally with a view to the succeeding parts, by 
which means it serves as an useful introduction to the poet's design, 
and opens it with that air of ease and negligence essential to the episto- 
lary form. 2d. The main body of the epistle (from verse 89 to 295) is 
laid out in regulating the Roman stage, and chiefly in giving rules for 
tragedy, not only as that was the sublimer species of the drama, but, a§ 



C18 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

it should seem, the least cultivated and understood. 3d. The last por- 
tion (from verse 295 to the end) exhorts to correctness in writing, and is 
occupied partly in explaining the causes that prevented it, and partly in 
directing to the use of such means as might serve to promote it. Such 
is the general plan of the epistle, according to Hurd, who maintains, 
that, in order to enter fully into its scope, it is necessary to trace the 
poet attentively through all the elegant connexions of his own method. 

Sanadon, and a late German critic, M. Engel, have supposed, that the 
great purpose of Horace, in the present epistle, was to ridicule the pre- 
tending poets of his age. Such, however, it is conceived, does not appear 
to have been his primary object, which would in some degree have been 
in contradiction to the scope of his epistle to Augustus. (Diinlop's Ro- 
man Literature, vol. 3, p. 270. seqq.) The same remark will apply to the 
theory of Ast, which is in effect identical with that of Sanadon and Engel. 
Ast supposes that Horace, in composing this epistle, had in view the 
Phasdrus of Plato, and, that as in the Greek dialogue, the philosopher ri- 
dicules the rhetoricians, so Horace wishes to indulge his raillery at the 
worthless poets of his time. Doring maintains, that the object of Horace, 
in the present piece, is to guard against the pernicious influence of the 
bad poets of the day, and that he therefore gives a collection of precepts, 
unconnected it is true, yet having all a direct bearing on the object at 
which he aims, and describing, as well the excellencies in composition 
that should be sought after, as the errors and defects that ought to be 
carefully avoided. Finally, De Bosch, in his notes to the Greek Antho- 
logy, supposes that the poem was not actually addressed to any of the 
Pisos, but that the poet made use of this name by way of prosopopoeia. 

We have already remarked, that the theory of Wieland has supplanted 
Hurd's, and, as we have given an outline of the latter, it may not be 
amiss to subjoin a slight sketch of the former ; the more especially as we 
intend to follow it in our Explanatory Notes on this piece. We will use 
the words of Colman. " The poet begins with general reflections ad- 
dressed to his three friends. In these preliminary rules, equally necessary 
to be observed by poets of every denomination, he dwells on the import- 
ance of unity of design, the danger of being dazzled by the splendour of 
partial beauties, the choice of subjects, the beauty of order, the elegance 
and propriety of diction, and the use of a thorough knowledge of the 
nature of the several different species of poetry : summing up this intro- 
ductory portion of his Epistle in a manner perfectly agreeable to the con- 
clusion of it. 

" Descriptas servare vices, opcrumque colores, 
Cur ego si nequeo ignoroque, poeta salutor ? 
Cur nescire, pudens prave, quam discere malo ?" 

From this general view of poetry, on the canvass of Aristotle, but entirely 
after his own manner, the writer proceeds to give the rules and the history 
of the drama, adverting principally to Tragedy, with ail its constituents 
and appendages of diction, fable, character, incidents, chorus, measure, 
music, and decorations. In this part of the work, according to the inter- 
pretation of the best critics, and indeed (I think) according to the mani- 
fest tenor of the Epistle, he addresses himself entirely to the two young 
Pisos, pointing out to them the difficulty, as well as the excellence, of the 
dramatic art, insisting on the avowed superiority of the Grecian writers, 
and ascribing the comparative failure of the Romans to negligence and 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 619 

the love of gain. The poet, having exhausted this part of his subject, 
suddenly drops a second, or dismisses at once no less than two of the 
three persons, to whom he originally addressed his Epistle, and, turning 
short on the elder Piso, most earnestly conjures him to ponder on the 
danger of precipitate publication, and the ridicule to which the author of 
wretched poetry exposes himself. From the commencement of this par- 
tial address, major juvenum, &c. (verse 366) to the end of the poem, 
almost a fourth part of the lohole, the second person plural, Pisones !—Vos ! 
— Vos, Pompilius sanguis! &c. is discarded, and the second person 
singular, Tu, Te, Tibi, &c. invariably takes its place. The arguments, 
too, are equally relative and personal ; not only showing the necessity of 
study, combined with natural genius, to constitute a poet ; but dwelling 
on the peculiar danger and delusion of flattery, to a writer of rank and 
fortune ; as well as the inestimable value of an honest friend, to rescue 
him from derision and contempt. The Poet, however, in reverence to 
the Muse, qualifies his exaggerated description of an infatuated scribbler, 
with a most noble encomium on the use of good poetry, vindicating the 
dignity of the Art, and proudly asserting, that the most exalted characters 
would not be disgraced by the cultivation of it. 

-" JVe forte pudori 



Sit tibi Musa, lyroz solers, el cantor Apollo.'" 

It is worthy of observation, that in the satirical picture of a frantic bard, 
with which Horace concludes his epistle, he not only runs counter to 
what might be expected as a corollary of an Essay on the Art of Poetry, 
but contradicts his own usual practice and sentiments. In his Epistle to 
Augustus, instead of stigmatising the love of verse as an abominable 
phrenzy, he calls it a slight madness (levis hcec insania), and descants on 
its good effects, (quantas virtutes habeat, sic collige !) In another epistle, 
speaking of himself, and his attachment to poetry, he says, 

' ubi quid datur oti, 



Illudo chartis : hoc est mediocribus Mis 
Ex vitiis wttffli," &c, — ■■ 

All which, and several other passages in his works, almost demonstrate, 
that it was not without a particular purpose in view that he dwelt so for- 
cibly on the description of a man resolved 



" in spite 

Of nature and his stars to write." 

Various passages of this work of Horace have been imitated in Vida'3 
Poeticorum ; in the Duke of Buckingham's Essay on Poetry ; in Roscom- 
mon, On Translated Verse ; in Pope's Essay on Criticism ; and in Boi- 
leau's Art Poetique. The plan, however, of this last production is more 
closely formed than any of the others on the model of Horace's Epistle. 
Like the first division of the Ars Poetica, it commences with some gen- 
eral rules and introductory principles. The second book touches on ele- 
giac and lyric poetry ,which are notonly cursorily referred to by Horace, 
but are introduced by him in that part of his epistle which corresponds 
to this portion of the present work. The third, which is the most impor- 
tant, and by much the longest of the piece, chiefly treats, in the manner 
of Horace, of dramatic poetry ; and the concluding book is formed on 
the last section of the Epistle to the Pisos ; the author, however, omit- 



traU EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

ting the description of the frantic bard, and terminating his critical work 
with a panegyric on his sovereign. Of all the modern Arts of Poetry, 
Boileau's is the best. It is remarkable for the brevity of its precepts, 
the exactness of its method, the perspicacity of the remarks, the proprie- 
ty of the metaphors ; and it proved of the utmost utility to his own na- 
tion, in diffusing a just mode of thinking and writing, in banishing every 
species of false wit, and introducing a pure taste for the simplicity of 
the ancients. Boileau, at the conclusion of his last book, avows, and 
glories as it were in the charge, that his work is founded on that of Ho- 
race. 

" Pour moi, qui jusqu'ici nourri dans la Satire, 

N'ose encore manier la Trompette et la Lyre ; 

"Vous me venez pourtant, dans ce champ glorieux ; 

Vous offrir ces lecons, que ma Muse au Parnasse, 

Rapporta, jeune encore, du commerce d' Horace." 

1 — 14. 1. Humano capiti cervicem pictor equinam, &c. The epistle 
begins with the general and fundamental precept of preserving an unity 
in the subject and disposition of every piece. A poet, who neglects this 
leading principle, and produces a work, the several parts of which have 
no just relation to each other or to one grand whole, is compared to a 
painter, who puts on canvass a form of heterogeneous character, its mem- 
bers taken from all kinds of animals. Both are equally deserving of ridi- 
cule. — 2. Varias inducere plumas. Inducere (" to spread") is well applied 
to the art of painting. — 3. Undique. "From every quarter of creation," 
i. e. from every kind of animal. — 4. Mulierformosasuperne. Explain- 
ing humano capiti in the first verse. — 6. Pisones. Compare Introductory 
Remarks, near the commencement. — Isli tabulae. Referring to the pic- 
ture which has just been described. Mi marks contempt. 7. Cujus, 
velut aegri somnia, vanae fingentur species. " The ideas in which, like a 
sick man's dreams, shall be formed without any regard to sober reality." 
— 9. Pictoribus atque poetis quidlibet audendi, &c. This is supposed to 
come from the mouth of an objector ; and the poet's reply, which is im- 
mediately subjoined, defines the use, and fixes the character, of poetic 
license, which unskilful writers often plead in defence of their transgres- 
sions against the law of unity. — 12. Sed non ut placidis coeant immitia, &c. 
The meaning is, that poetical or any other license must never be carried 
so far as to unite things that are plainly and naturally repugnant to 
each other. — 14. Inceptis gravibus plerumqiie etmagnaprofessis, &c. " Of- 
tentimes to lofty beginnings, and such as promise great things, are sew- 
ed one or two purple patches, in order to make a brilliant display," &c. 
i. e. Often, after exordiums of high attempt and lofty promise, we are 
amused with the description of a grove and altar of Diana, the mean- 
ders of a stream gliding swiftly through pleasant fields, the river Rhine, 
or a rain-bow, like so many purple patches in a garment, that make, it 
is true, a great show, but then are not in their proper place. The poet 
here considers and exposes that particular violation of uniformity, into 
which young poets especially, under the influence of a warm imagina- 
tion, are too apt to run, arising from frequent and ill-timed descriptions. 

19, 20. 19. Etfortasse cupressum scis simulare, kc. Horace compares 
the poets, whom he has just been censuring, to a painter who had learn- 
ed to draw nothing but a cypress-tree. As this painter, therefore, would 
represent the cypress in every picture he was engaged to execute, so these 
poets, altogether unequal to the management of any individual subject in a 
proper way and with a proper regard to unity of design, were accustomed 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 621 

to indulge in insulated descriptions, and in common-place topics, which 
had no bearing whatever on the main subject. Hence the words etfortas- 
se cupressum scis simulare, &c. convey, in fact, the following meaning : 
Perhaps, too, thou art even skilful in these individual descriptions, as the 
painter who knew only how to draw a cypress. But what have such de- 
scriptions and common-place topics to do with the subject itself? Evident- 
ly, just as much as if the painter alluded to were to place his darling cy- 
press on the canvass, when employed to draw a picture of shipwreck. — 
20. Quid hoc, si fractis enatat exspes, &c. "What is this to the pur- 
pose, if he, who is to be painted for a given price, is to be represented as 
swimming forth hopeless from the fragments of a wreck ?'.' Persons who 
had lost their all by shipwreck, were accustomed to solicit charity by car- 
rying around with them a painting in which the misfortune which had be- 
fallen them was depicted. In the present case, therefore, Horace sup- 
poses a shipwrecked mariner to have employed a painter for this purpose 
who knew only how to draw a cypress, and he asks of what value such 
an object would be in the intended picture, or how it could have any effect 
in exciting the compassion of others. 

21 — 24. 21. Jlmphora ccepit institui ; currente rota cur ureeus exit ? A 
bad poet opens his poem with something great and magnificent, but 
amuses himself with trifles. A bad potter begins a large and beautiful 
vase, but produces only a worthless pitcher. — 23. Denique sit quidvis, 
simplex duntaxat et unum. " In a word, be the object what it may, let it 
only be simple and uniform." — 24. Maxima pars vatum decipimur specie 
recti. The caution already given, respecting the observance of unity, 
and the avoiding of ill-timed descriptions, is, observes Hurd, according 
to the idea of Horace, the more necessary, as the fault itself wears the 
appearance of a virtue, and so writers come to transgress the rule of 
right from their very ambition to observe it. There are two cases in 
which this ambition remarkably misleads. The first is, when it tempts 
us to push an acknowledged beauty too far. Great beauties are always 
on the confines of great faults ; and therefore, by affecting superior ex- 
cellence, we are easily carried into what is deserving only of censure. 
Thus (from line 25 to 30) brevity often becomes obscurity; sublimity, 
bombast; caution, coolness ; and a fondness for varying- and diversifying 
a subject by means of episodes, and descriptions, such as are men- 
tioned above (line 15.,) will often betray a writer into the capital error 
of violating the unity of his piece. For, though variety be a real ex- 
cellence under the conduct of true judgment, yet when affected beyond 
the bounds of probability, and brought in solely to strike and surprise, it 
becomes unseasonable and absurd. The second instance in which we 
are misled by an ambition of attaining to what is right, is, when, through 
an excessive fear of committing faults, we disqualify ourselves for the 
just execution of a tolwle, or of such particulars, as are susceptible of 
real beauty. For not the affectation of superior excellencies only, bu\ 
even In vitiumducit culpre fuga, si caret arte. 

26 — 38. 26. Sectantem lenia nervi, &c. Horace is thought by som? 
to mean himself here. — 29. Prodigialiier. Happily chosen by Horace, 
to carry the mind to that fictitious monster, under which he had before 
allusively shadowed out the idea of absurd and inconsistent composi- 
tion. — 32. JEmilium circa ludum fiber unus, &c. "An artist, about the 
iEmilian school, shall, in a manner superior to all others, both express 
the nails, and imitate in brass the easy-flowing hair ; yet will he fail in 
the completion of his work, because he will not know how to give a 



622 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

just proportion to the whole." The commencement of this sentence, 
when paraphrased, will run as follows : Among the artists who dwell 
around the iEmilian school, there will probably be some individual or 
other, who, &c. According to the scholiast, iEmilius Lepidus had a 
school of gladiators, where was subsequently the public bath of Poly- 
cletes. In the neighbourhood of this school many artists appear to have 
resided. — Unus. Equivalent to omnium optime; pro- omnibus aliis ; &c. 
— 35. Nunc ego me, si quid compmiere curem, &c. " Were I about to be- 
stow labour upon any work, I would no more wish to imitate such a 
one, than to appear in public remarkable for fine black eyes and hair, 
but disfigured by a hideous nose." — 38. Sumite materiam vestris, qui scri- 
bitis, cequamviribus, &e. The poet here lays down another important 
precept, which results directly from what has just preceded. If in the 
labour of literature, as well as in the works of art, it is all-important to 
produce a complete and finished wAo/e, and not to confine ourselves 
merely to certain individual parts that are more within our reach than 
others, it becomes equally important for us to be well acquainted with 
the nature and extent of our own talents, and to be careful to select 
such a subject, as may, in all its parts, be proportioned to our strength 
and ability. 

40 — 46. 40. Potenter. " In accordance with his abilities." — 41. Nee 
facundia deseret hunc, nee lucidus onto. The poet here enumerates the 
advantages which result from our selecting a subject proportioned to our 
powers. In the first place, we will never be wanting in the proper fund 
of matter, wherewith to enlarge under every head ; which is a main- 
spring of all eloquent writing, whether in prose or verse ; and, in the 
second place, we cannot fail, by such a well-weighed choice, to dispose 
of our subject in the best and most lucid method. — 42. Ordinis hcec virtus 
erit et Venus, &c " This will constitute the chief excellence and the 
beauty of method, (or I am much deceived ) , that the writer say, in the very 
commencement, those things which ought there to be said, that he put 
off most things and omit them for the present" Horace explains here, 
in a few words, wherein consists the merit and beauty of that order 
which a poet ought to follow in the disposition of his subject ; and he 
adds these words, aut ego fallen; from a principle of modesty, because 
he was going to establish a new precept, upon the practice of the great- 
est authors of antiquity, and one that had never been mentioned by any 
writer before him. — 45. In verbis eliam tenuis caulusque serendis. " Nice 
and cautious too in the employment of words." The same causes will 
equally affect the language, as the method, of poetry. To the general 
reflections, therefore, on poetic distribution, in which Horace has thus 
far indulged, are now properly subjoined some directions about the use 
of loords. — 46. Hoc amet, hoc spernat promissi carminis auctor. Accord- 
ing to the arrangement in the common editions, this verse and the one 
immediately, preceding are transposed. The propriety, however, of 
Bentley's position of these lines, which we have followed in our text, all 
must allow. Gesner observes in its favour, that it was customary with 
the copyists when a line was misplaced by them, to denote such mispla- 
cing by very minute marks, which might easily become obliterated in 
the lapse of time. To the same effect are the words of Baste, ( Com- 
ment. Paleogr. p. 858.) The expression in the text, hoc amet, hoc spernat, 
are equivalent to aliud verbum amplectatur, aliud rejiciat. — 47. Callida 
junctura. " Some skilful arrangement." Junctura, observes Hurd, as 
here employed by the poet, is a word of large and general import, and 
the same in expression, as order or disposition in a subject. The poet 



EXPLANATOR? NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE P1SOS. 623 

would say, " Instead of framing new words, I recommend to you any 
kind of artful management by which you may be able to give anew air 
and cast to old ones." 

49 — 52. 49.- Indiciis monstrare recentibus abdita rerum. "To explain 
some abstruse subjects by newly-invented terms." The allusion in abdita 
rerum is to things hitherto lying concealed, and now for the first time 
brought to light, i. e. inventions and discoveries, which need of course 
newly-invented terms to enable others to comprehend them. — 50. Fingere 
cinctutis non exaudita Cethegis continget. " it will be allowed to coin 
words unheard of by the ancient Cetheei." The Cethegi are here put 
for the ancient Romans generally, and Tiorace, in full accordance with 
his subject, and the better to mark their antiquity, makes use of an old 
term cinctutis. This epithet cinctutus properly means " girded ready for 
acting," and marks the habits of the early Romans. It has a special re- 
ference to the Gabine cincture, which was so called when the lappet of 
the gown, that used to be thrown over the left shoulder, was passed 
around the back in such a manner as to come short to the breast and 
there fasten in a knot ; this knot or cincture tucked up the gown, and 
made it shorter and straiter, and consequently better adapted for active 
employment. — 51. Sumta pudenter. "If used with moderation." — 52. 
Habebunt fidem. "Will be well received." Literally: "Will enjoy 
authority." — Si Gr&co fonte cadant parce detorla. " If they descend, 
with a slight deviation, from a Grecian source," i. e. if we derive them 
gently, and without too much violence, from their proper source, that is, 
from a language, as the Greek, already known and approved. 

53 — 59. 53. Quid autem Cczcilio Plautoque, &c. Cascilius and Plau- 
tus, observes Hurd, were allowed to coin, but not Virgil and Varius. 
The same indulgence our authors had at the restoration of letters ; but it 
is denied to our present writers. The reason is plainly this. While arte 
are refining or reviving, the greater part are forced, and all ai-e content, to 
be learners. When they are grown to their usual height, all affect to be 
teachers. Whereas men, under the first character of learners, are glad to 
encourage every tiring that makes for their instruction. — 59. Signatum 
prcesente nota procudere nomen. "To coin a word impressed with the 
current stamp." Words are here compared to coin, which bears the 
stamp of the reigning prince. Procudere is Bentley's felicitous emenda- 
tion. The common text has producere. 

60 — 63. 60. Ut silvm, foliis pronos mutantis in annos, &c. With mutan- 
tis supply se ; the order of the sentence will be, Ut prima folia silvce, 
mutantis foliis in pronos annos, cadunt, ita, &c. Horace seems here to 
have had in view, that fine similitude of Homer, in the sixth book of the Iliad, 
(HS.seqq.) comparing the generations of men to the annual succession 
of leaves : On; ircp <pv\\u)v y£j'£>), roirj&e KalavSp&V k. r. A. — 63. Sive, recepto 
terra Jfepluno, &c. The allusion is to the Portus Julius, or Julian Har- 
bour, constructed by Agrippa, under the orders of Augustus, and also to 
the draining of part of the Pontine Marshes, and the checking of the in- 
undations of the Tiber. Agrippa made an opening in the dam which 
Iran across the Sinus Puteolanus, from Baiae to the opposite shore. He 
also cut through, at the same time, the small neck of land which parted 
the Avernian from the Lucrine lake. The Portus Julius was in this way 
created, the name being given by Agrippa to the united waters of the 
Avernian and Lucrine lakes, together with the fortified entrance through 
the dam. This harbour was found large enough to hold a numerous fleet 
of vessels of war, and sufficed for the daily exercise of 20,000 seamen ; 



b24 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

and it is to this practice of exercising his galleys and men that Augustus 
is said to have been indebted for his victory over Sextus Pompeius. 

65 — 71. 65. Sterilisve diu palus aptaque rends, &c. The reference is 
to the draining of a part of the Pontine Marshes {Pomptincc paludes), the 
second of the public works mentioned at the beginning of the previous 
note. — 67. Seu cursum mutavit iniquum frugibus amnis, &c. Alluding 
to the third public work, mentioned in the beginning of note on verse 
63 ; the checking, namely, of the inundations of the Tiber. — 68. Morta- 
lia facta peribunl, &c. If, argues the poet, these splendid works of pub- 
lic utility cannot withstand the power of all-destroying time, how ean 
the lighter and more evanescent graces of language ever hope to escape? 
— 60. Nedum sermonum stet honos et gratia vivax. " Much less shall the 
bloom and elegance of language continue to flourish and endure." Vi- 
vax must be joined, in construction, with stet, and the expression stet vi- 
vax becomes equivalent to floreat, maneatque. — 71. In honor e. "In es- 
teem." — Si volet usiis, quern penes, &c. "If custom shall so will it; un- 
der whose full control is the decision, and right, and standard of lan- 
guage." 

73 — 78. 73. Res gestm regumque ducumque, &c. From reflections on 
poetry, at large, Horace now proceeds to particulars : the most obvious 
of which being the different forms and measures of poetic composition, he 
considers, in this view, (from line 75 to 86) the four great species of 
poetry, to which all others may be reduced, the Epic f Elegiac, Dramatic 
and Lyric. — 74. Qmo numero. " In what numbers," i. e. in what kind 
of measure. — 75. Versibus impariter junctis. Referring to Elegiac verse, 
and the alternate succession, in its structure, of Hexameters and Penta- 
meters. — Q,uerimonia primum. Horace goes on the supposition that the 
term Elegy (iXtyctov) was always applied to this species of verse, even 
from its very origin, and hence the derivation commonly assigned to the 
word in question (a-no tov I e Xiyttv) leads him to make the assertion that 
the alternate succession of Hexameters and Pentameters was first of all 
made the vehicle of mournful themes, [n this he is incorrect. Com- 
pare note on verse 78. — 76. Voti sententia compos. " Successful de- 
sires," i. e. pleasurable emotions. — 77. Exiguos elegos. " The elegy's 
small song." (Colman.) Commentators differ concerning the proper 
import of exiguos, as here employed. According to some, the epithet 
refers to the humble nature of the elegiac style and subject, compared 
with epic or lyric sublimity. Others, however, more correctly suppose, 
that Horace merely alludes to the farm of this species of verse, both as 
consisting of unequal measures, and because elegiac poems are, gene- 
rally speaking, shorter than others. — 78. Grammatici certant, et adhuc 
sub judice lis est. The Grammarians here alluded to were those of the 
Alexandrian school, and the point in controversy became with them a 
fertile theme of discussion, merely because they confounded both times 
and terms. The whole difficulty disappears the moment we assign to 
words their true signification. The first thing to be done, is to distin- 
guish between the elegy, (so to call it) of Callinus, and the new ZXcyos, 
the invention of which is ascribed to Simonides. The first was nothing 
more than a lyric poem, of a martial character, composed of distichs, 
that is, of alternate Hexameters and Pentameters. Its origin is attri- 
buted to Callinus, because he is the first poet known to have employed 
it. Neither was it called Elegy at first, but. twos, a general term/which 
was subsequently confined to heroic verse. The word Elegy (%\eyos) 
was first applied to the alternating Hexameter and Pentameter in the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 625 

time of Simonides, whether it was that he himself introduced the name, 
or whether the mournful and plaintive nature of his subjects justified 
this appellation from others. It was only from the days of Simonides 
that the term Elegy was applied to a poem composed of distichs, and 
treating of some melancholy subject. Hence we see, 1. that Horace is 
incorrect in his querimonia primum (v. 75), and 2. that the Alexandrian 
grammarians were engaged in a mere controversy about words. 

79 — 85. 69. Jlrchilochum propria rabies armavitiambo. "Rage armed 
Archilochus with his own iambus." Alluding to the satires of this poet, 
in which the Iambic measure was employed, and also to the story of 
Lycambes and Neobule. Horace, by the use of the term proprio, ex- 
pressly ascribes to this poet the invention of iambics. The opinion en- 
tertained by some critics, that Archilochus merely improved this mea- 
sure, and was not the actual inventor, may be seen urged in Schoell, 
Hist. Lit. Gr. vol. 1. p. 199. — 80. Hunc socci cepere pedem, grandesque co- 
thurni. " This foot the sock and the stately buskin adopted." The 
soccus, or low shoe of comedy, and the cothurnus, or buskin of tragedy, 
are here figuratively used to denote these two departments of the drama 
respectively. 81. Mternis aplum sermonibus, &c. "As suited for dia- 
logue, and calculated to surmount the tumult of an assembled audience, 
and naturally adapted to the action of the stage." — Populares vincentem 
strepitus. There are many reasons, observes Francis, given to explain 
this remark. The cadence of iambics is more sensible, and their mea- 
sures are more strongly marked, than any other. (" Insigncs p°rcus- 
siones eorum nunerorum." Cic. de Orat. 3. 47.) The pronunciation is 
more rapid, and this rapidity ftrms, according to Aristotle, a greater 
number of sharp sounds. Dacief adds, that the iambic, being less dif- 
ferent from common conversation, more easily engaged the attention of 
an audience. — 83. Fiiibus. " To the lyre." — 84. Et pugilem victonm, 
et equum certamine primum. Alluding to the lyric flights of Pindar. — 
85. El juvenum curas et Libera vina. "And the love-sick feelings of the 
young, and wine's unbounded joys." The reference is to Sappho and 
Anacreon. 

86 — 92. 86. Dsscriptas seware vices operumque colores, &c. " Why 
am I greeted with the name of poet, if I am unable, and in fact know 
not how, to observe the distinctions that have just been mentioned, and 
the different characters that productions should have in the different 
species of verse ?" As regards the connection in the train of ideas, 
compare the remarks of Kurd : " But the distinction of the measures to 
be observed in the several species of poetry is so obvious that there can 
scarcely be any mistake about them. The difficulty is to know (from 
line 86 to 89) how far each may partake of the spirit of the other with- 
out destroying that natural and necessary difference, which ought to sub- 
sist between them all. To explain this, which is a point of great nicety, 
he considers (from line 89 to 99) the case of dramatic poetry ; the two 
species of which are as distinct from each other as any two can be; and 
yet there are times, when the features of the one will be allowed to re- 
semble those of the other. For, 1. Comedy, in the passionate parts, 
will admit of a tragic elevation ; and 2. Tragedy, in its soft, distressful 
scenes, condescends to the ease of familiar conversation." — 89. Res co- 
mica. " A comic subject." — 90. Privatis. " Of a familiar cast," i. e. 
such as are used in describing the private life that forms the basis of co- 
medy, but are unsuited for kings, heroes, and the other characters of 
tragedy.— 91. Ccena Thyestx. " The banquet of Thyestes" is here put 



G2G EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

for any tragic subject (res tragica.) Commentators, in general, suppose 
that this is done because the story of Thyestes is one of the most tragic 
nature. Hurd, however, assigns another and very ingenious explana- 
tion. " We may be sure," observes this critic, " that the subject in ques- 
tion was not taken up at random as the representative of the rest. The 
reason was, that the Thyestes of Ennius was peculiarly chargeable with 
the fault here censured, This allusion to a particular play, written by 
one of their best poets, and frequently exhibited on the Roman stage, 
gives great force and spirit to the precept, at the same time that it exem- 
plifies it in the happiest manner. — 92. Singula quceque locum teneant sor- 
tita decenter. " Let each particular species of writing, when once it has 
had its proper place allotted to it, hold that place in a becoming manner." 
The construction is, singula quozque, sortita locum, teneant eum locum de- 
center." 

93 — 96. 93. Vocem tollit. " Raises its voice." Compare the scholiast ; 
" Grandioribus verbis utitur," and note on verse 86, toward the close. — 
94. Iratusque Chremes, tumido delitigat, ore. " And angry Chremes rails in 
swelling strain." Alluding to the Heautontimorumenos of Terence (Jlct. 
&, Sc. 4.) where the irritated Chremes breaks out against his son. — 95. 
Et tragicus plerumque dolet sermone pedestri. " And sometimes the tragic 
poet grieves in humble style." The poet, by a common figure, is here 
made to do what he represents his characters as doing. — 96. Telephus et 
Peleus. The stories of each of these princes became the subjects of tra- 
gedies. The allusion in the case of Telephus, is to his wanderings in 
quest of his parents, and to the poverty in which he was involved at the 
time. Peleus, as is -well known, was driven into exile from the court of 
his father Aeacus, for having been accessary to the murder of his bro- 
ther Phorbas. — Uterque projicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba. " Cast 
each aside high-sounding expressions and words a-foot-and-a-half-long." 
The term ampulla properly denotes a species of phial or flask, for hold- 
ing oil or vinegar, having a narrow neck but swelling out below. Hence 
the word is figuratively taken to signify, inflated diction, tumid language, 
bombast, rant, &c. 

99,100. 99. Non satis est pulchra esse poemata ; dulcia sunto. " It is 
not enough that poems be beautiful, let them also be affecting." The re- 
ference in poemata is principally to dramatic compositions. — The follow- 
ing outline will give a connected view of the remainder of this epistle. 
Horace's discrimination of the several styles that belong to the different 
species of poetry, leads him, as has before been remarked, to consider 
the Diction of the drama, and its accommodation to the circumstances and 
character of the speaker. A recapitulation of these circumstances car- 
ries him on to treat of the due management of characters already knoion, 
as well as of sustaining those that are entirely original. To the first ot 
these the poet gives the preference, recommending known characters, as 
well as known subjects : and, on the mention of this joint preference, the 
author leaves farther consideration of the Diction, and glides into dis- 
course upon the Fable, which he continues down to the 152d verse. 
Having despatched the Fable, the poet proceeds to the consideration ot 
the Characters; not in regard to suitable diction, for of that he has al- 
ready spoken, but with reference to the manners ; and in this branch of 
his subject, he has as judiciously borrowed from the Rhetoric of Aristo- 
tle, as in other parts of his epistle from the Poetics. He then directs, in 
its due place, the proper conduct of particular incidents of the fable ; 
after which he treats of the Chorus; from which he naturally passes to the 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 627 

history of theatrical Music ; which is as naturally succeeded by an ac- 
count of the origin of the Drama itself, commencing with the early di- 
thyrambic song, and carried down to the establishment of the New 
Greek Comedy. Prom this he proceeds easily and gracefully to the Ro- 
man Stage, acknowledging the merits of the writers, but pointing out 
their defects, and assigning the causes. He then subjoins a few general 
observations, and concludes his long discourse on the drama, having ex- 
tended it to 275 lines. This discourse, together with the result of all 
his reflections on poets and poetry, he then applies, in the most earnest 
and personal manner, to the elder Piso, and with a long peroration, to 
adopt an oratorical term, concludes the epistle. 

103—112. 103. Lcedent. "Will affect."— 104. Male si man-data lo- 
queris. " If thou shalt speak the part assigned thee badly," i. e. if thou 
shalt not act up to thy true character. The reference, throughout the 
whole passage, is, as will be plainly perceived, to the actor on the stage. 
Hence the explanation given to mandata by Jason de Nores, "tibia scrip- 
tore tradita." — 107. Ludenlem lasciva. "Sportive expressions a playful 
look." — 108. Prius. " From our very birth." Equivalent to a prima 
ortu. — 109. Juvat. " She delights." — 111. Post. "In process of time," 
i. e. as we advance towards maturer years. Post is here opposed to 
pHus in verse 108. — 112. Si dicentis erunt fortunis absona dicta, &c. "If 
the word of the speaker shall be unsuited to his station in life the Roman 
knights and commons will raise a loud laugh at his expense." The ex- 
pression equites peditesque is meant to comprehend the whole audience, 
as well the educated and respectable, as the uneducated and common 
portion. In applying the term pedites to the common people, the poet 
adopts a playful form of speech, borrowed from military language, and 
marking a sportive opposition to the word equites. 

115 — 119. 115. Maturusne senex. Compare Ode 3. 15. 4. "Maturo 
proprior funeri." — 117. Mercatome vagus, cidtorne virentis agelli. The 
mercator vagus is one who has travelled much, has become acquainted 
with the manners and customs of various nations, and who is not only, 
in consequence of this, become more refined in his own habits, but also 
more shrewd, astute, and discerning. The cultor virentis agelli, on the 
other hand, is a plain, honest country-farmer ; of rustic manners and 
simple mind. — 118. Colchus an Jlssyrius ; Thebis nutritus an Jirgis. The 
Colchians were savage and inhospitable, the Assyrians refined, crafty, 
and voluptuous. The Thebans laboured under the imputation of dull- 
ness (Epist. 2. 1. 244), the Argives were high-spirited and proud. — 119. 
Jlut famam sequere, out sibi convenientia finge, scriptor. " Thou that 
writest, either follow tradition, or invent such characters as are uniformly 
consistent with themselves." The connection, observes Hurd, lies thus : 
"Language must agree with character, character with fame, or at least 
with itself. Poets, therefore, have two kinds of characters to labour 
upon, either such as are already known, or such as are of their own in- 
vention. In the first they are not at liberty to change any thing ; they 
must represent Achilles, Ajax, and Ulysses, in accordance with poetical 
tradition. And as to what they invent themselves, it must be uniform and 
of a piece. 

120 — 128. 120. Honoratum si forte reponis Achillem. "If haply thou 

dost represent anew the honoured Achilles," i.e. dost represent anew, after 

Homer, Achilles honoured in the verses of that ancient bard. — 121. hnpi- 

ger, iracimdus, inexorabilis, acer. " Let him be indefatigable, wrathful, in- 

56 



b'JS EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE FISOS. 

exorable, impetuous." Supply sit, and compare the description given of 
this warrior in the Iliad, (20. 401.) — 123. Sit Medea ferox, invictaque. 
Horace, observes Hurd, took this instance from Euripides, where the un- 
conquered fierceness of this character is preserved in that due mediocrity 
which nature and just writing demand. — Flebilis Ino, perfidus Ixion, &c. 
"Let Ino sink in tears, Ixion be perfidious, Io wander, and Orestes 
mourn." — 125. Si quid mexpertum scenm committis. Having explained 
thefamam sequere, Horace now proceeds to elucidate the latter part of the 
line, aut sibi convenientia finge. — 128. Difficile est proprie communia dicere. 
"It is difficult to handle common topics in such a way as to make them 
appear our own property." Many commentators regard communia,- in this 
passage, as equivalent to ignota indictaque, and as indicating new subjects, 
such namely as have never been handled by any previous writer, and are 
therefore common to all. This, however, is decidedly erroneous. The 
meaning of this axiom of Horace should be explained according to its 
most obvious sense; which is, as we have rendered the passage above, 
that it is difficult to enter on subjects which every man can handle, in such 
a way as to make them appear our own property, from the manner in 
which we alone are able to trea.t them. Boileau used to say that he found 
this explanation in Hermogenes, (rfe Gravit. apt.. dicend.§ 30.) and he 
laboured strenuously to support its correctness. In the British Critic, 
vol. 5. p. 356. the opinion of Gaudius, to the same effect, is cited by Dr. 
Parr. 



129 — 131. 129. Rectius Iliacum carmen didncis in actus. The poet 
has just stated how difficult it is to handle a common subject in such a 
way as to make it appear like a new one, and our own private property. 
But, though he acknowledges the difficulty of the undertaking, he by no 
means dissuades from it. On the contrary, he recommends it as the more 
correct and becoming course. Compare the remark of Gaudius, cited in 

a part of the preceding note. " Difficile est ita tractare communia ut 

tua propria, seu privata, seu nova fiant. Hunc tamen ego conatum tibi 
suadeo." — 131. Publica materies privati juris erit. "A common theme 
will become thy private property." The poet now proceeds to explain, in 
what way we must act if we wish " proprie communia dicere." The ex- 
pression publica materies serves directly to elucidate the true meaning of 
the term communia in the 128th verse. — Si nee circa vilem patulumque mo- 
raberis orbem. "If thou shaft neither dwell upon a round of particulars, 
trite in their nature and open unto all." The poet lays down three rules 
for attaining the object in view, of which this is the first : and the meaning 
is, that, in handling a common topic, we must not spend our time on the 
system or circle of fables, in vogue among all poets in relation to it, but 
must strike out something new for ourselves. — 133. Nee verbum verbo 
curabis redder e, &c. The second rule: not to be translators instead of 
imitators. — 135. Nee desilies imitator in arctum, &c. The third rule: not 
to be slavish in our imitation, or advance so far as to involve ourselves in 
circumstances whence we cannot retreat with honour, or without violating 
the very laws we have established for the conduct of the poem. Hence 
the passage may be rendered as follows : "Nor sbalt leap, as an imitator, 
into such straits, whence either a sense of shame or the rules of thy work 
may forbid thee to retreat," i. e. nor, like a servile imitator, shalt fetter 
thyself by such narrow rules, as to be entangled beyond the power of re- 
treat, without violating what honour and the rules of our work demand. — 
Jlrctum. Understand locum. Some commentators suppose, that the re- 
ference is here to the fable of the goat in the well. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 629 

136 — 141. 136. Nee sic incipies, &c. Most of the critics observe, re- 
marks Colman, that all these documents, deduced from the Epic, are in- 
tended, like the reduction of the Iliad into acts, as directions and admo- 
nitions to the dramatic writer. — Ut scriptor cyclicus olim. " Like the cyc- 
lic bard of old." By the cyclic poets, are meant a class of bards, who 
selected, for the subjects of their productions, things transacted as well 
during the Trojan war, as before and after ; and who, in treating these 
subjects, confined themselves within a certain round or cycle of fable. 
From the hackneyed nature of these themes, the term cyclicus came at 
length to denote a poet of inferior rank, and, indeed, of little or no merit. 
— 137. Fortunam Priami cantabo et nobile bellum. 'Aa'aw Ilpid/uoto tvxw 
tt6\s/x6v re K\ctw6v. — 139. Parturiant montcs, &c. Alluding to the well- 
known fable of the mountain and the mouse ; and applied, as a prover- 
bial expression, to all pompous and imposing beginnings which result in 
nothing. — 140. Quanta rectius hie, qui nit molitur inepte. " How much 
more correctly does he begin who attempts nothing injudiciously." The 
allusion is to Homer, and Horace opposes to the pompous and swelling 
exordium of the cyclic poet, the modesty and reserve of Homer in the 
beginning of the Odyssey. — 141. Die mild, Musa, virum, &c. Horace 
here includes in two lines the three opening verses of the Odyssey. 
The Roman poet does not mean his lines as a translation of these, in the 
strict sense of the term, but merely wishes to convey, in his native 
tongue, some idea of the simplicity and modesty that mark the Homeric 
exordium. 

143 — 151. 143. Non fumum ex fulgore, &c. The meaning is, that 
Homer does not seek to begin with a flash and end in smoke, but out of 
smoke to bring glorious light, and surprise us with the brilliant and daz- 
zling creations of his fancy. — 144. Speciosa miracula. "His brilliant 
wonders." — 145. Cyclope. Alluding to Polyphemus. — 146. JVec reditum 
Diomedis, &c. Horace does not mean by the "Return of Diomede," 
any particular production of Homer's, but only wishes to give us a gene- 
ral idea of his manner of writing, and to show, that he does not, like 
some droning cyclic poet, begin with events which happened long before 
the main action of his poem, and have no immediate or necessary con- 
nection with it. Antimachus, a cyclic bard, had made a poem on the 
Return of Diomede, and commenced the adventures of that hero from 
the death of his uncle Meleager, by which means he gave a ridiculous 
beginning to the action that formed the subject of his work. So also, 
another cyclic poet, (supposed by some to have been Stasinus of Cyprus) 
began an account of the Trojan war with the nativity of Helen, or the 
story of Leda and the eggs. — 148. In medias res. Horace means that 
Homer, at the outset of the Iliad, does not delay us by a previous expla- 
nation of the causes which brought on the angry strife between Achilles 
and Agamemnon, but commences at once with an allusion to the wrath 
of Pelides, (M^vtv asiis Sed !), as if the causes that led to it were already 
known to his hearer. — 150. Tractata nitescere. A metaphor taken from 
things polished from the force of handling. History, and a poet's imagi- 
nation, may furnish him with a great variety of incidents, but his own 
judgment must direct him in the choice of them. — 151. Alqut itamen- 
titur, sic vera falsis remiscet, &c. " And moulds his fictions in such a 
way, so blends what is false with what is true," &c. The meaning is, 
that Homer so intermingles fiction with reality, throughout the whole 
of his poem, and so strictly connects all the parts, as to give the entire 
production an air of probability, and make the beginning, middle, and 
end, exactly correspond. 



630 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

153 — 157. 153. Jlulaa manentis. " Who will wait until the curtain 
rises," i. e. who will wait until the end of the play : who will listen with 
delight to the whole performance. Literally, "who waits for the cur- 
tain." We have rendered this phrase in accordance with Roman usage. 
If translated with reference to modern custom, it would be, "who will 
wait until the curtain falls." Consult note on Epist. 2. 1. 189. — 155. 
Vos Plaudite. All the old tragedies and comedies acted at Rome con- 
cluded in this manner. The phrase is equivalent to our modern expres- 
sion, "Your plaudits," or, "clap your hands." Who the cantor was, 
that addressed these words to the audience, is a matter of dispute. Dacier 
thinks it was the whole chorus ; others suppose it to have been a single 
actor; some, the prompter, and some, the composer. The second of 
these opinions is probably the more correct one. — 156. JEtatis cujusque 
notandi sunt tibi mares, &c. The manners must be well distinguished 
and strongly marked, designandi, exprimendi. The connection in the 
train of ideas is given by Hurd, as follows : " But though the strict ob- 
servance of these rules will enable the poet to conduct his plot to the best 
advantage, yet this is not all that is required in a perfect tragedy. If he 
would seize the attention, and secure the applause of the audience, some- 
thing farther must be attempted. He must be particularly studious to 
express the manners. Besides the peculiarities of office, temper, condition, 
countnj, &c. before considered, all which require to be drawn with the 
utmost fidelity, a singular attention must be had to the characteristic dif- 
ferences of age." — 1 57. Mobilibusque decor naturis dandus et annis. " And 
a suitable character assigned to varying dispositions and years," i. e. a 
certain decorum or propriety must be observed in depicting the natures 
or dispositions of men, as they vary with years. 

158 — 165. 158. Reddere voces. "To express himself in words," i. e. 
who has now learnt to speak. (Qui ex infante jam /actus estpuer.) The 
poet here begins with a beautiful description of the different ages of life, 
based, in a great degree, upon the description given by Aristotle in his 
Art of Rhetoric. — 159. Gestit paribus colludere. Compare Aristotle, 
Rhet. 2. 11. Kal <j>i\6(pi\oi, Kal (piXhaipoi, fiaWov tZv d'AXwv fjXiKiZv. — Et iram 
colligit et ponit temere. " And is quick in contracting and in laying aside 
anger." Compare Aristotle, ibid, Kal Sv/ukoI Kal d^idv/jioi, Kal ohi dKoXovOelv 
rg bpi^jj. — 160. Et mulatur in horas. Compare Aristotle, ibid. evjicrdBoXot 
e)s Kal a\j.Uopot irpbs r&s eiridvpias. — 161. Tandem custode remoto. The word 
tandem marks, in a very pleasing manner, the impatience of the young 
to be freed from restraint. — 162. Et aprici gr amine campi. Alluding to 
the gymnastic exercises wont to be performed in the Campus Martius. 
163. Cereus in vitium flecti. " As pliable as wax in being bent towards 
vice." With cereus compare the Greek KrjpLvos. — 164. Utilium tardus 
provisor. " A slow provider of useful things," i. e. slow in discerning his 
true interests, and in providing for the future. Compare Aristotle, Rhet 
2. 11. Kal /taWov a'tpovvrai irpaTTUV rd KaXa tg5i> avji(ptp6vT0)v. — Prodigus ccris. 
Compare Aristotle, ibid. (pi\oxP>l^Toi Se r\KiaTa, hid to iirjira ivdelas TT£7T£[pa<r- 
Qat. — 165. Sublimis. " Presumptuous." Compare Aristotle, ibid. Kal 
fityaXdjpvxoi. — Cupidusque. "And Amorous." Compare Aristotle, ibid. 
Kal t&v ircpl to cZjia ItxlQvjjliuiv, piaXio-ra aKoXovdrjTiKoi din Tal$ trtpl to. aippo&icia, 
Kal aKpaTus Tairijs. 

166 — 178. Conversis studiis. " Our inclinations having undergone 
a change." — JEtas animusque virilis. "The age and spirit of manhood." 
Aristotle fixes the full vigour of the body, from thirty years to thirty-five, 
and of the mind until about forty-nine. — 169. Circumveniunt. "Enconi- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 631 

pass." — 170. Qucerit, et inventus miser dbstinet. Compare Aristotle, 

Rhet. 2. 13. Shits ovtc tiriOvpnTiKoi, ovrt npaKTiKoi, Kara rdseiridviiias, dAAd Kara 
rd KtpSof Sid auApoviKoi tyaivovrai oi TrfKiKovToi, a'i re yup t-KiQvjiiai aveUaai, Kai 
SovXtuoum tS Kip&u. — 171. V el quod res omnes timide gelideque, &c. Com- 
pare Aristotle, ibid. koX izi\o\ Kal -navra TzpcKpoSrirtKoi ivavriw; yap iiaKtivrai 
Tot; viois' /careipvynii'Oi yap daiv' oi it Otpjio'f wars -KpoioioTreiroiriKt. to yrjpa; rfj 
&ei\tif Kal yap b <p66os Kara\pv%LS rig tan — 172. Spe longus. " Ever hoping 
for a more prolonged existence." — Jlridusqve futuri. " Greedy of the 
future." — 173. Difficilis. " Morose." — Laudator temporis acti se puero. 
Compare Aristotle, Rhet. ibid. iiartXovcri yap ra yivoutva Xtyovrcs' avajiiff 
yrj^KOjitvoi yap r/iovrai. — 175. Jlnni vcnientes, &c. Aristotle, as already 
remarked (note on verse 166,) considers the powers of the body in a state 
of advancement till the 35th year, and the faculties of the mind as pro- 
gressively improving till the 49th, from which periods they severally de- 
dine. This will serve to explain the anni venisntes, and recedentcs, ol 
Horace. — 178. Semper in adjanctis ccvoque morabimur aptis. " We are 
always to dwell with particular attention upon those things that are 
joined to, and proper for, each individual age," i. e. we must always pay 
particular attention to whatever is characteristic and proper in each stage 
of life. 

179 — 183. 179. Aul agtiur res in scenis aut acta referlur. " An action 
is either represented on the stage, or is there related as done elsewhere." 
Hurd gives the connection as follows : The misapplication, just now 
mentioned (lines 176 and 177) destroys the credibility. This puts the 
poet in mind of another misconduct, which has the same effect, viz. intus 
digna geri promere in scenam. But, before he makes this remark, it was 
proper to premise a concession to preyent mistakes, viz. Segnius irritant 
animos, &c. — 182. Non tamen intus digna geri, &c. The idea intended 
to be conveyed is this, that, though what we see done affects us more 
strongly than what we merely hear related, still (tamen) we must not let 
this principle carry us so far as to bring upon the stage things only fit to 
be done behind the scenes (intus.) — 184. Quce mox narret facundia prce- 
sens. " Which the animated narrative of some actor, appearing on the 
stage, may presently relate." Some commentators make prmsens refer 
to the circumstance of the actor's having been present at the scene which 
he describes. The acceptation in which we have taken it, however, is 
much more simple and obvious. — IS5. Ne pueros coram populo J\ledea tru- 
cidet. Seneca violates this rule also, and represents Medea butchering her 
children in the face of the spectators, and aggravates the cruelty of the 
execution with all thehorrors of a lingering act. — 186. Aut humana palam 
coquat exta, &c. An allusion to the coma Thyeslce, mentioned at verse 91. 
— 187. In avem. According to Anacreon, Virgil, Propertius, and others, 
she was changed into a nightingale ; but, according to Ovid, into a swal- 
low. — 188. Incredulus odi. " I view with feelings of incredulity and disgust." 

189 — 192. 189. Neve minor neu sit quinto productior actu fabula. Whe- 
ther there be any thing of reality and truth in this precept, observes 
Francis, may be disputed, but the best poets, ancient and modern, have 
held it inviolable. They have considered it a just medium between a 
length which might grow languishing and tedious ; and a shortness too 
much crowded with incidents. — 191. Nee deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice 
nodus. " Nor let any deity interfere, unless a difficulty present itself 
Worthy a god's unravelling." As regards the peculiar force of the term 
vindex, compare the remark of Gesner : " Vindex est, qui summo in pe- 
nculo versantem svbito liberat et eripit." Horace intends this precept as a 



63& EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

censure upon a common fault among the ancient Tragic poets, that of 
having recourse to some deity for the unravelling of the plot, whenever 
they were at a loss in relation to it. He was made to descend in a spe- 
cies of machine ; whence the expression, dens ex machina. — 192. JVec 
quarta loqui persona labor et. Horace here enjoins on the Roman drama- 
tist the practice so strictly observed among the Greeks, of confining the 
number of actors to three. In the origin of the drama the members of 
the chorus were the only performers. Thespis was his own actor, or, in 
other words, he first introduced an actor distinct from the chorus. iEs- 
chylus added a second, and Sophocles a third ; and this continued to be 
ever after the legitimate number. Hence, when three characters happened 
to be already on the stage, and a fourth was to come on, one of the three 
was obliged to retire, change his dress, and so return as the fourth per- 
sonage. The poet, however, might introduce any number of mutes, as 
Is, attendants, &c. 



193 — 200. 1 93. Jicioris partes Chorus officiumque virile defendat. " Let 
the chorus supply the place of a performer, and sustain an active part in 
the representation." According to the rules of the ancient drama, the 
chorus was to be considered as one of the actors, and its coryphaeus, or 
head, spoke for the whole number composing it. As regards the expres- 
sion officium virile, compare the explanatory comment of Hurd : " Officium 
virile means a strenuous, diligent office, such as becomes a person inte- 
rested in the progress of the action. The precept is levelled against the 
practice of those poets, who, though they allot the part of a persona drama- 
tis to the chorus, yet for the most part make it so idle and insignificant a 
one, as is of little consequence in the representation. — 194.JVew quid medios 
intercinat actus, &c. " Nor let it sing any thing between the acts that does not 
in some way conduce to, and connect itself aptly with, the. plot." How neces- 
sary this might be to the writers of the Augustan age, remarks Hurd, cannot 
certainly appear : but if the practice of Seneca may give room for any sus- 
picion, it should seem to have been much wanted ; in whom I scarcely be- 
lieve there is a single instance of the chorus being employed in a manner 
consonant to its true end and character. — 196. Me bonis javeatque et con- 
silietur amice. "Let it both take the side of the good, and give them friend- 
ly advice." — 197. Et amet pacare tumentes. The common text has peccare 
timentes. — 198. Mensce brevis. "Of a frugal table." Compare Epist. 1. 
14.35. " Cana brevis." — 199. Et apertis otia portis. "And peace with 
open gates." — 200. Ille tegat commissa. " Let it keep concealed whatever 
secrets are entrusted to it." The chorus being present throughout the 
whole representation, was often necessarily entrusted with the secrets of 
the persons of the drama. 

202 — 209. 202. Tibia non, ut nunc, &c. Tragedy having been ori- 
ginally nothing more than a chorus or song, set to music, from which 
practice the harmony of the regular chorus in after times had its rise, the 
poet takes this occasion to pass to a history of theatrical music. — Orichal- 
covincta. " Bound with orichalcum," i. e. brass-bound. The reference 
is either to rings of metal placed around the tibia by way of ornament, or 
to those which marked the joints of the instrument. The orichalcum of 
antiquity (called by the Greeks 6pefyaX/w, i. e. mountain-brass) seems 
to have been a fictitious substance not a natural metal. They made it 
on the same basis that we make brass at present : but they had several 
ways of doing it, and distinguished it into several kinds. — 203. Tenuis 
simplexque. " Of slender note and simple form." Tenuis is here op- 
posed to tuiae aemula, and simplex to orichalco vincla. — 204. Jldspirare et 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 633 

adesse Choris erat utilis. " Was employed to accompany and aid the cho- 
rus." By the term chorus, in the present passage, all the actors are 
meant; for, in the origin of the drama, the members of the chorus were 
the only performers. — Jllque nondum spissa nimis complere sedilia flutn. 
"And to fill with its tones the seats of the theatre, that were not as yet 
too crowded," i. e. and was loud enough to be heard all over the theatre 
as yet of moderate size: — 206. Numerabilis, utpote parvus. "Easily 
counted, as being few in number." Not like the immense crowds that 
flocked to -the public spectacles in the poet's own day. — 207. Fmgi 
"Industrious." Frugi is generally rendered here by the term "frugal;" 
but improperly. It is equivalent, in the present instance, to in rem suam 
attentus et diligens. — 208. Victor. Referring to populus in the 206th verse. 
— 209. Latiormurus. " A wider circuit of wall." — Vineoque placari Ge- 
nius festis impune diebus. "And the Genius to be soothed on festal oc- 
casions with wine drunk freely by day," i. e. and to indulge themselves 
freely in mirth and wine on festal days. The expressions vino diumo 
and impune have an allusion to the early Roman custom which regarded 
it as improper to commence drinking, or entertainments, de medio die, 
(consult note on Ode 1. 1. 20.) as well as to the introduction of a more 
social spirit by reason of the intercourse with other nations, and the in- 
crease of wealth which conquest produced. As regards the phrase placari 
Genius, consult note on Ode 3. 17. 14. 

212 — 214. 212. Indoctus quid enim saperet, &c. " For what correct 
means of judging in such a case could an unlettered clown, and one just 
freed from labour, have, when mingled in motley groupe with the citi- 
zen, the base-born with him of honourable birth?" There is some dif- 
ference of opinion with regard to the application of these lines. Many 
critics imagine, that the poet refers to the rude and and simple character ol 
the early theatrical music, as taking its tone from the unpolished nature 
of the audience to whom it was addressed. Others, however, with more 
propriety make the passage under consideration have allusion to what 
immediately precedes, and to be intended as a species of explanatory 
comment on the licentia major, spoken of by Horace. — 2 J 4. Sic priscts 
motumque et luxuriem, &c. " Thus the musician added both a quicker 
movement, and richer modulation to the ancient art." By priscoz arti is 
meant the ancient music, the peculiar defects of which were, 1. That it 
moved too slowly, and 2. That it had no compass or variety of notes. It 
was the office of those who played on musical instruments in the per- 
formance both of tragedies and comedies, to give to the actors and audi- 
ence the tone of feeling which the dramatic parts demanded. In tragedy 
the music invariably accompanied the chorus. It was not, however, 
confined to the chorus, but appears to have been also used in the dia- 
logue, or at least the monologue of the scenes ; for Cicero tells of Rosci- 
us, that he said he would make the music play slower when he grew 
older, that he might the more easily keep up with it. (de Orat. 1. 60.) 
It is not probable, however, as some think, that comedy was a musical 
performance throughout: Mr. Hawkins, after quoting a number of au- 
thorities to this purpose, concludes, that comedy had no music but be- 
tween the acts, except perhaps, occasionally in the case of marriages and 
sacrifices, if any such were represented on the stage, (flaw/ems' En- 
quiry into Greek and Latin Poetry, § 13. — Dunlop's Roman Literature, vol. 
l.p.578.) 

215 — 218. 215. Traxitque vagus per pulpita vestem. "And passing 
up and down drew a lengthened train along the stage." The pulpitum 



634 EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PIS08. 

was a wooden platform, raised on the proscenium to the height of five 
feet. This the actors ascended to perform their parts, and here all the 
dramatic representations of the Romans were exhibited, except the 
Mimes, which were acted on the lower floor of the proscenium. — Ves- 
tem. Alluding to the long theatrical robe, called atipua by the Greeks, 
from ctpo>, "to drag" upon the ground. The present passage expresses 
not only the improvement arising from the ornament of proper dresses, 
but also that resulting from the grace of motion : not only the actor, 
whose peculiar office it was, but the musician himself, conforming his 
gestures in some sort to the music. — 216. Sic etiam fidibus voces crevere 
sevens, &c. " In this way, too, new notes were added to the severe 
lyre, and a vehemence and rapidity of language produced an unusual 
vehemence and rapidity of elocution in the declaimer." The poet is 
here speaking of the great improvement in the tragic chorus after the 
Roman conquests, when the Latin writers began to inquire Quid Sc- 
pkocles et Thespis et JEschylus utile fervent. This improvement consisted, 
observes Hurd, 1. In a more instructive moral sentiment: 2. In a more 
sublime and animated expression, which, of course, produced, 3. A 
greater vehemence in the declamation : to which conformed, 4. A more 
numerous and rapid music than that which had been produced by the 
severe and simple tones of the early lyre. All these particulars are here 
expressed, but, as the reason of the thing required, in an inverted order. 
The music of the lyre (that being his subject, and introducing the rest) 
being placed first; the declamation, as attending that, next ; the lan- 
guage, facundia, that is, the subject of the declamation, next; and the 
sentiment, sententia, the ground and basis of the language, last. — 218. 
Utiliumque sagax rerum, et divina futuri, &c. "While the sentiments 
expressed, displaying an accurate acquaintance with things of a useful 
character, and predicting the events of the future, differed not in value 
from the oracles delivered at Delphi." The poet here, with great exact- 
ness, declares the specific boast and excellence of the chorus; which 
lay, as Heinsius has well observed, 1. In inculcating moral lessons; 
and 2. In delivering useful presages and monitions concerning future 
conduct with an almost oracular prudence and authority. 

220,221. 220. Carmine qui tragicovilem certavit obhircwn. Consult 
the Excursus, at the end of this volume, for an account of the origin and 
developement of dramatic exhibitions among the Greeks. — 221 . Jlgrestes 
Satyros nudavit. " Brought the wild Satyrs naked on the stage," i. e. 
exhibited on the stage performers habited in skins, and resembling in 
appearance the Satyrs of* fable. The allusion is, not to the Satyric cho- 
rus mentioned in the preceding note, but to what is styled the Satyric 
Drama, the history of which is briefly this. The innovations of Thespis 
and Phrynichus had banished the Satyric chorus with its wild pranks 
and merriment. The bulk of the people, however, still retained a liking 
for their old amusement amidst the new and more refined exhibitions. 
Pratinas, a native of Phlius, in accommodation to the popular feeling, 
invented a novel and mixed kind of play. The poet, borrowing from 
Tragedy its external form and mythological materials, added a chorus 
of Satyrs, with their lively songs, gestures and movements. This was 
called the Satyric Drama. It quickly attained great celebrity. The 
Tragic poets, in compliance with the humour of their auditors, deemed 
it advisable to combine this ludicrous exhibition with their graver pieces. 
One Satyric Drama was added to each tragic trilogy, as long as the 
custom of contending with a series of plays, and not with single pieces, 
continued. iEschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, were all distinguished 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. G35 

Satyric composers ; and in the Cyclops of the latter we possess the only 
extant specimen of this singular exhibition. (Theatre of the Greeks, 2d. 
ed. p. Ill, seqq.) — Et asper incolumi gravitate jocum tentavit. "And with 
rough sarcasm essayed the joke, though without abandoning the gravity 
of the subject." 

224 — 229. 224. Functus que sacris, et potus, et exlex. " Just come from 
festal rites, full of the fumes of wine, wild and ungovernable." — 225. 
Verum ita risores, &c. " It will be expedient, however, in such a way to 
recommend the bantering, in such a way the rallying Satyrs, to the favour 
of the audience, in such a way to turn things of a serious nature into jest, 
that whatever god, whatever hero shall be introduced, he may not, con- 
spicuous a moment ago in regal gold and purple, descend, by means of 
the vulgar language he employs, to the low level of obscure taverns, nor, 
on the other hand, while he spurns the ground, grasp at clouds and empty 
space." — 229. Migret in obscuras, &c. The former of these faults, ob- 
serves Hurd, a low and vulgar expression in the comic parts, humili ser- 
mone, would almost naturally adhere to the first essays of the Roman 
satyric drama, from the buffoon-genius of the Atellanas : and the latter, a 
language too sublime in the tragic part, nubes et inania capiat, would arise 
from not apprehending the true measure and degree of the tragic mixture. 
To correct both these, the poet gives the exactest idea of the Satyric 
Drama, in the image of a Roman matron sharing in the mirth of a reli- 
gious festival. The occasion obliged to some freedoms, and yet the dig- 
nity of her character demanded a decent reserve. 

231—235. 231. Indigna. " Disdaining."— 232. Uf festis matrona 
moveri jussa diebus. The verb moveri is here equivalent to saltare.— 
233. Intererit. " Will mingle." — Paulum pudibunda. "With some degree 
of modest reserve." — 234. JVTm ego honorata et dominantia nomina solum, 
&c. The common text has inornata, for which we have substituted hono- 
rata, the emendation of Hurd. In support of his correction the critic re- 
marks as follows : — I. The context, I think, requires this change. For 
the two faults observed above, (v. 229, 30.) were, first, a too low expres- 
sion, and, secondly, a too lofty. Corresponding to this double charge, 
the poet, havingfixed the idea of this species of composition, (v. 231, 2, 3.) 
should naturally be led to apply it to both points in question : first, to the 
comic part, in describing the true measure of its condescension ; and, se- 
condly, to the tragic, in settling the true bounds of its elevation. And 
this, according to the reading here offered, the poet does, only in an in- 
verted order. The sense of the whole would be this, 

1. Non ego honorata et dominantia nomina solum 
Verbaque, Pisones, satyrorum scriplor amabo • 

i. e. in the tragic scenes, I would not confine myself to such words only, 
as are in honour, and bear rule in tragic and the most serious subjects ; 
this stateliness not agreeing with the condescending levity of the satire. 

2. Nee sic enitar tragico differre eoleri 

Ut nihil intersit, Davusne loquatur et audax 
Pythias, emuncto lucrata Simorie talentum, 
An custos famulusque dei Silenus alumni. 

i. e. nor. on the contrary, in the comic scenes, would I incur the other ex- 
treme of a too plain and vulgar expression, this as little suiting its inhe- 



636 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

rent matron-like dignity. But, II. this correction improves the expression 
as well as the sense. For, besides the opposition implied in the disjunc- 
tive nee, which is this way restored, dominantia has now its genuine sense, 
and not that strange and foreign one forced upon it out of the Greek lan- 
guage. As connected with Iwnorata, it becomes a metaphor, elegantly 
pursued, and has, too, a singular propriety, the poet here speaking of 
figurative terms. And then, for henorata itself, it seems to have been a 
familiar mode of expression with Horace. Thus (Epist. 2. 2. 112) 
"Itonore indigna vocabula are such words as have p arum splendor is and 
are sine pondere." And " quce sunt in Iwnore vocabula" is spoken of the 
contrary ones, such as are fit to enter into a serious tragic composition, in 
this very epistle, line 71. (Hurd's Horace, vol. 1, p. 202, seqq.) The 
meaning given to dominantia from the Greek, and to which the learned 
bishop alludes, may be best explained in the words of Gesner. " Domi- 
nantia ex Grasco expressum est, icipia, i. e. propria, quibus contraria sunt 
dicvpa. Sic domicilium habere dicitur verbum in ea re, de qua prcprie, 
Kvpim;, adhibetur. Cic. Fam. 16. 17." — 23<5. Satyrorum scriptor. The 
term sahjri is here taken, as in some of the preceding passages, for the 
Satyric drama itself. 

236—240. 236. Tragico differre colmi. " To deviate from the tragic 
style." The dative is here used, by a Groecism, for the ablative with the 
preposition a. — 237. Ut nihil inter sit, Davusne loqualur, &c. It should 
seem from this, that the common characters of Comedy, as well as the 
gods and heroes of Tragedy, had a place in the Satyric Drama, as culti- 
vated in the days of Horace. Davus is the name of a slave in Terence. 
Pythias is the name of a female slave in the Eunuchus of the same author, 
and also, as the scholiast informs us, in one of the comedies of Lucilius. 
—238. Emuncto lucrata Simone talentum. " Having gained a talent from 
Simo whom she has wiped." The poet purposely employs the low comic 
word emuncto, as suited to, and in keeping with, the subject of which he 
treats. — 239. Silenus. The poets make him the governor and foster-father 
of Bacchus, and represent him as borne upon an ass. — 240. Ex nolo fic- 
tum carmen, sequar, &c. "From a well-known subject I will produce 
such a fiction, that," &c. Sequar is here equivalent to exseqv.ar. This 
precept, observes Hurd, (from line 240 to 244.) is analogous to that be- 
fore given (line 219) concerning tragedy. It directs to form the Satyric 
Dramas out of a known subject. The reasons are, in general, the same 
for both. Only one seems peculiar to the Satyric Drama. For the cast 
of it being necessarily romantic, and the persons, for the most part, those 
fantastic beings called Satyrs, the to S/ioiov, or probable, will require the 
subject to have gained a popular belief, without which the representation 
must appear unnatural. Now these subjects, which have gained a popu- 
lar belief, in consequence of old tradition, and their frequent celebration 
in the poets, are what Horace calls nola; just as newly-invented subjects, 
or, which comes to the same thing, such as had not been employed by 
other writers, indicia, he, on a like occasion, terms ignota. The connec- 
tion therefore is as follows. Having mentioned Silenus in line 239, one 
of the commonest characters in this species of Drama, an objection im- 
mediately offers itself: " but what good poet will engage in subjects and 
characters so trite and hacknied?" the answer is, ex noto fictum carmen 
sequar, i. e. however trite and well known this and some other characters, 
essential to the Satyric Drama, are, and must be, yet will there be still 
room for fiction and genius to show themselves. The conduct and dispo- 
sition of the play may be wholly new, and above the ability of common 
writers . tantum series juncturaque pollet. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES.— EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 637 

242—244. 242. Tantum series juncturaque pallet. " Such power do a 
proper arrangement and connection possess." Series denotes the train 
of incidents, which are mostly invented by the poet, but so blended with 
the known history, or with what tradition has already settled, as to make 
up the whole with every mark of probability by that happy connection 
which Horace here calls junctura.—9A3. Tantum de medio sumtis accedit 
honoris. " So much grace may be imparted to subjects taken from the 
common mass," i. e. so capable are the meanest and plainest things of 
ornament and grace. — 244. Silvis educti caveant, me judice, Fauni, &c. 
" Fauns bred in the woods, should take care, in my opinion, never either 
to sport in too tender lays, like persons brought up within the precincts 
of the city, and almost as if accustomed to the harangues of the Forum, 
nor, on the other hand, to express themselves in obscene and abusive 
language." The poet, having before (line 232.) settled the true idea of 
the satyric style in general, now treats, observes Hurd, of the peculiar 
language of the satyrs themselves. This common sense demands to be 
in conformity with their sylvan character, neither affectedly tender and 
gallant, on the one hand ; nor grossly and offensively obscene on the 
other. The first of these cautions seems levelled at a false improvement, 
which, on the introduction of the Roman Satyric Drama, was probably 
attempted on the simple, rude plan of the Greek, without considering the 
rustic extraction and manners of the Fauns and Satyrs. The latter ob- 
liquely glances at the impurities of the Atellane pieces, whose licentious 
ribaldry would of course infect the first essays of Roman Satyric com- 
position. 

245 — 249. 245. Forenses. The allusion appears to be to the forensic 
harangues and declamations in which the young Romans were accus- 
tomed to exercise themselves, and to the choice expressions which they 
aimed at employing in such performances. — 246. Juvenentur. This is 
thought to be a word with which the poet himself enriched his native 
tongue, and is formed after the analogy of the Greek veavideaOai. — 248. 
Offendentur enim, quibus est equus, &c. " For they are offended at this, 
who have a steed, a father, or an estate." The allusion is to the Equites, 
the patricians, and the wealthier portion of the people ; in other words 
to the more polite and educated classes. The poet, observes Hurd, in 
his endeavour to reclaim his countrymen from the taste obscene, very 
politely, by a common figure, represents that as being the fact, which he 
wished to be so. — 249. Fricti ciceris et nucis emtor. " The purchasers 
of parched peas and nuts." Alluding to the lower orders, who pur- 
chased these articles for the purpose of consuming them during the re- 
presentation of a piece. The pea-nut eaters of our own day form a si- 
milar fraternity. 

251 — 260. 251. Syllaba longa brevi subjecta, &c. The whole critique 
on the Satyric Drama here concludes with some directions about the 
Iambic verse. Not that this metre was common to tragedy and the Sa- 
tyric Drama, for, accurately speaking, the proper measure of the latter 
was, as the grammarians teach, the Iambic enlivened with the tribrach. 
" Gaudent trisyllabo pede et maxime tribrache." (Victor. 2. c. met. Iamb.) 
Yet there was resemblance enough to consider this whole affair of the 
metre under the same head. — 252. Unde etiam Trimetris accrescere jussit^ 
&c. " Whence also it. ordered the name Trimeters to be given to Iam- 
bics, when it yielded six beats, from first to last like itself." The mean- 
ing is, that though six beats were yielded, or, in other words, six iambi 
arranged in a verse, yet, owing to the rapidity of the foot, these six only 



638 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

formed three metres, i. e. a trimeter iambic line. — 254. Primus ab extre- 
mum similis sibi, &c. The import of these words is, that the feet origi- 
nally employed were all iambi, forming what is called a pure iambic line. 
— 255. Tardior ut paulo graviorque &c. The spondee was introduced 
to correct the swiftness of the iambic verse, and make it more consist- 
eat with the dignity and gravity of tragic composition. Compare page 
li. of this volume. — 256. Spondeos stabiles. Spondees are here elegantly 
denominated stabiles, from the circumstance of their not running on ra- 
pidly like the iambus, but moving along, by reason of their greater hea- 
viness, at a slow and steady pace. — In jura paterna. "Into a participa- 
tion of its hereditary rights," i. e. the right, hitherto exclusively its own, 
of appearing in iambic versification. Compare note on verse 254. — 257. 
Commodus el patiens. " Obligingly and contentedly." — Non ut de sede se- 
cunda, &c. " Not, however, so as to retire from the second or the fourth 
place, after the manner of friends to whom all things are in common." 
The iambus yields only the odd places to the spondee, the first, third, 
and fifth ; but preserves the second, fourth, and sixth for itself. — 258. 
Hie et in Acci nobilibus trimetris, &c. " This iambus, in the second and 
fourth places, rarely appears in the noble trimeters of Accius and En- 
nius." Nobilibus trimetris is ironical. Horace blames Accius and En- 
nius for not observing the strict rule respecting the position of the iambus 
in the even places of the trimeter, and for making their verses, in conse- 
quence, hard and heavy, by the presence of too many spondees. — 260. 
In scenam missus magno cum pondsre versus, &c. According to our poet, 
a verse sent upon the stage, labouring beneath a heavy load of spondees, 
reflects discredit upon its author, and either shows that he has been too 
hasty, and has not given himself time to fashion this poem, or else proves 
him to be ignorant of the rules of his own art. 

263—268. 263. Non quids videt immodulata poemata judex, &c. "It 
is not every judge who can discern the want of harmony in poems, and an 
improper indulgence is therefore extended in this case to the Roman 
poets." Horace remarks, that it is not every one who is capable of mark- 
ing the want of modulation and harmony in a poem, and that, by reason 
of this, an improper license has been extended to the Roman poets in mat- 
ters of versification. He then asks whether, in consequence of such a pri- 
vilege being allowed, he ought to fall in the common track and write in a 
careless, rambling manner? In other words, whether the negligence of 
other and earlier bards is deserving of imitation. The answer is concise- 
ly given, and amounts to this, that accuracy of versification can never be 
dispensed with, since it constitutes so small a portion of poetical merit, 
and if one be without it, he can hardly lay claim to the appellation of poet. 
For suppose I think all eyes will be turned to any faults that I may com- 
mit in the structure of my verses, and am therefore on my guard against 
errors of this kind ; what have I gained by so doing ? I have only avoided 
censure, not merited praise. — 265. Ut omnes visuros peccata putem mea. 
" Suppose I think that every one will see whatever faults I may commit." 
Ut putem is equivalent here to fac me putare. — 268. Exemplaria Graca. 
"The Grecian models." 

271,272. 271. Nimium palienUr utrumque, &c. It has been thought 
strange, observes Hurd, that Horace should pass so severe a censure on 
the wit of Plautus, which yet appeared to Cicero so admirable, that he 
speaks of it (de Off. 1. 29.) as elegans, urbanum, ingeniosum,facetum. Nor 
can it be said, that this difference of judgment was owing to the improved 
delicacy of the taste for wit in the Augustan age, since it does not appeal- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 639 

that Horace's own jokes, when he attempts to divert us in this way, are at 
all better than Cicero's. The common answer, so far as it respects the 
poet, is, I believe, the true one : that, endeavouring to beat down the ex- 
cessive veneration of the elder Roman poets, and, among the rest, of Plau- 
tus, he censures, without reserve, every the least defect in his writings; 
though in general he agreed with Cicero in admiring him. — 272. Si modo 
ego et vos, &c. "If you and I but know how to distinguish a coarse joke 
from a smart sally of wit, and understand the proper cadence of a verse by 
the aid of our fingers and ear." The allusion in digilis is to the use made 
of the fingers in measuring the quantity of the verse. 

275 — 279. 275. Ignotum tragicce genus, &c. " Thespis is said to have 
invented a species of tragedy before unknown to the Greeks." Horace 
does not mean to say, that Tragedy actually commenced with Thespis, 
but that he was the author of a new and important step in the progress 
of the-Drama. — 276. Etplaustris vexisse poemata, &c. The order of con- 
struction is, et vexisse plaustris histriones, qui, peruncti ora fcccibus, cane- 
rent agerentque poemata ejus. — 277. Peruncti fcecibus ora. In the earlier 
age of tragedy, observes Blomfield, the actors smeared their faces either 
with the lees of wine, or with a kind of paint called Parpaxuov. Diffe- 
rent actors invented different masks. Who first introduced them into 
comedy is unknown ; but iEschylus first used them in tragedy. — 278. 
Post hunc persona, &c. Consult the Excursus at the end of this volume. 
— 279. Pulpita. Consult Excursus. 

281 — 288. 281. Successit vetus his Comoedia. With regard to the 
several changes in the Greek Comedy, and its division into the Old, the 
Middle, and the New, consult note on Sat. 1. 4. 2. — 283. Chorusque tur- 
piter obticuit, &c. Evidently, observes Hurd, (alluding to the words tur- 
piter obticuit) because, though the jus nocendi was taken away, yet that 
was no good reason why the chorus should entirely cease. Properly 
speaking, the law only abolished the abuse of the chorus. The igno- 
miny lay in dropping the entire use of it, on account of this restraint. 
Horace was of opinion that the chorus ought to have been retained, 
though the state had abridged it of the license, it so much delighted in, 
of an unlimited and intemperate satire. — 288. Vel qui prcetextas, vel qui 
docuere togatas. " Whether they have composed tragedies or comedies 
for the stage." Docere fabulam is analogous to the Greek expression 
ciSdtrKeiv tipa/ia, and properly means, to " teach a play" (i. e. to the ac- 
tors.) Since, from the state of writing materials, the performers could 
not enjoy the convenience of frequent transcription of their parts, they 
studied them by the poet's repeatedly reading them out ; and the chorus 
was exercised the same way. This was more particularly the case 
among the Greeks. Hence we obtain the primitive meaning of iddcKuv 
Spa/xa, (docere fabidam,) and from this others of a more general nature 
result, such as, " to give a play to be acted," "to exhibit a piece," or, as 
in the present case, simply to " compose" one. — Prcetextas. With this 
epithet, and also togatas, understand fabulas. The term togatce (scil. 
fabulce) was used to denote all plays in which the habits, manners, and 
arguments were Roman ; and palliates, those of which the customs and 
subjects were Grecian. When, however, prastexta is set in opposition 
to legatee, as in the present instance, the first means tragedies, and the 
second comedies ; because the prcetexta was a robe appropriated to the 
higher orders, whereas the toga was the common Roman habit. 

291—294. 291. Lima labor et mora. " The labour and delay of cor- 
57 



b4U EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

rection." Literally, "of the file."— 292. Pompilius sanguis. "Descen- 
dants of Pompilius." The family of the Pisos claimed descent from 
Numa Pompilius. — Carmen reprendite, quod non multadies, &c. "Con- 
demn that poem which many a day and many a blot have not corrected, 
and castigated ten times to perfect accuracy." Cotrcnit is here equiva- 
lent to emendando purgavil. — 294. Pmsectum ad unguem. Literally, "to 
the paired nail." A metaphor taken from workers in marble, who try 
the smoothness of the marble, and the exactness of the joinings, by 
drawing the nail over them. 

295, 296. 295. Ingeniummisera quia fortunatius arte, &c. "Because 
Democritus believes genius more successful than wretched art, and there- 
fore excludes sane poets from Helicon." Compare note on verse 29G. 
The epithet misera.is to be taken ironically : and by arte is meant, learn- 
ing, study, application, &c. The connection in what here succeeds is 
given as "follows by Hurd. From line 295 to 323, the poet ridicules the 
false notion into which the Romans had fallen, that poetry and possession 
were nearly the same thing; that nothing more was required in a poet, 
than some extravagant starts and sallies of thought ; that coolness and re- 
flection were inconsistent with his character, and that poetry was not to 
be scanned by the rules of sober sense. This they carried so far as to ef- 
fect the outward port and air of madness, and, upon the strength of that 
appearance, to set up for wits and poets. In opposition to this mistake, 
which was one great hinderance to critical correctness, he asserts wisdom 
and good sense to be the source and principle of good writing: for the attain- 
ment of which he prescribes, 1. (from line 310 to 312,) A careful study of 
tire Socratic, that is, moral, wisdom: and 2. (from line 312 to 318,) A tho- 
rough acquaintance with human nature, that great exemplar of manners, 
as he finely calls it, or, in other words, a wide, extensive view of real, 
practical life. The joint direction of these two, as means of acquiring 
moral knowledge, was perfectly necessary. Both together furnish a 
thorough and complete comprehension of human life; which, manifesting 
itself in the just and affecting, forms that exquisite degree of perfection in 
the character of the dramatic poet, the want of which no warmth of genius 
can atone for or excuse. Nay, such is the force of this nice adjustment of 
manners, (from line 319 to 323,) that, where it has remarkably prevailed, 
the success of a play has sometimes been secured by it, without one single 
excellence or recommendation besides. — 296. Et excludit sanos Helicone 
poetas. Consult note on Epist. 1. 19. 3. and compare the following remark 
of the scholiast : "Ingenium: ait enim Democritus, poeticam natura magis 
quam arte constare, et eos sobs poetas esseveros, qui insaniant ; inquapersua- 
sio?ie Plato est." 

298 — 301. 298. Balnea. There was always more or less of a crowd at 
the public baths. — 299. Nanciscetur enim pretium nomenque poeUx, &c. 
"For one will certainly obtain the recompense and the name of a poet, if 
he shall never submit to the barber Licinus a head not to be cured by the 
produce of three Anticyras," i. e. one will be a poet as long as he remains 
a madman, and allows no barber to meddle with his beard. Enim, like 
scilicet, nimirum, &c. on other occasions, is here made to answer the pur- 
poses of irony. — Pretium. Public applause, the recompense of a poet's ex- 
ertions. — 300. Tribus Anticyris. There were only two Anticyras in the 
ancient world, both famed for producing hellebore, the well-known reme- 
dy, in former days, for madness. (Consult note on Sat. 2. 3. 83.) The 
poet, however, here speaks of a head so very insane as not to be cured by 
the produce of three Anticyras, if there even were three places of the name, 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. Gil 

nndnotmerely two. — 301. Tonsori Licino. In making mention of a barber, 
Horace indulges in a passing hit at Licinus, an individual of .this class 
in the days of Julius Caesar, by whom, according to the scholiast, 
he was made a senator for the hatred which he manifested towards 
Pompey. 

301 — 308. 301. ego laevus, qui purgor bilem, &c. " What an un- 
lucky fellow am I, who am purged of bile at the approach of every 
Spring." If madness, pleasantly remarks Horace, is sufficient to make 
a man a poet, what an unlucky dog I am in purging away the bile every 
spring. For this might at least increase to the degree that would qualify 
me for making verses. — 303. Verum nil tanli est. " However there is 
nothing in it of so much value as to be worth this price," i. e. the loss of 
my senses. — 306. Munus et officium, nil scribens ipse, docebo. " Though 
I write nothing myself, I will notwithstanding teach the duty and office 
of one who does." By nil scribens ipse the poet refers to his not having 
composed any epic or dramatic poem. — 307. Opes. " Proper materials." 
— Qzto virtus, quoferat error. " Whither an accurate knowledge of his 
art, whither an ignorance of it, leads." 

309 — 314. 309. Scribendi reclesapere est et principium et fans. " Good 
sense is the first principle and the parent-source of good writing." — 310. 
Socraticae chartae. — " The precepts of Socratic wisdom. The poet sends 
us to the precepts of Socrates, as contained in the moral writings of Pla- 
to and others of his disciples ; for Socrates wrote nothing himself. 
Charta is therefore taken here, as Doring well explains it, "pro eo quod 
in charta scriptum est ." — 311 . Provisam rem. " The subject after having 
been previously and cai-efully reflected upon." i. e. examined in all its va- 
rious details, so that we are become full masters of it. — 314. Quae partes 
in helium missi duels. " What part a leader sent to war should act." 
With partes supply sint. 

317 — 324. 317. Respicere exemplar vitae morumque jubebo. &c. "I 
will direct the skilful imitator to attend to the great pattern of life and 
manners which nature unfolds to the view, and to derive from this source 
the lineaments of truth." — 318. Veras hinc ducere voces. Truth, in poe- 
try, means such an expression as conforms to the general nature of things; 
falsehood, that, which, however suitable to the particular instance in 
view, does yet not correspond to such general nature. To attain to 
this truth of expression in dramatic poetry, two things are prescribed ; 
1. A diligent study of the Socratic philosophy; and 2. A masterly 
knowledge and comprehension of human life. The first, because it 
is the peculiar distinction of this school, ad veritatem vitae propius 
accedere. (Cic. de. Or. 1. 51.): and the latter, as rendering the imi- 
tation more universally striking. — 319. Speciosa locis morataque recte 
fabula. "A play striking in its moral topics, and marked by a just 
expression of the manners." — 323. Grails ingenium Graiis dedit, &c 
The Greeks being eminent for philosophy, the last observation natur- 
ally gave rise to this. For the transition is easy from their superi- 
ority as philosophers, to their superiority as poets ; and the more easy, 
as the latter is shown to be, in part the effect of the former. Now 
this superiority of the Greeks in genius and eloquence (which would 
immediately occur, on mentioning the Socratlca chartae) being seen and 
confessed, we are led to ask, whence this arises ? Trie answer is, from 
their making glory, not gain, the object of their wishes. — Ore rotundo. 
The poet does not merely refer to rotundity of expression, as if he were 
only praising the language of the Greeks but to a full and rich and 



blZ EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

finished diction, flowing at once from a liberal and cultivated mind.— 
324. Nullius. "Of nothing else." Supply alius rei. 

325 — 329. 325. Longis ralionibus. " By long computations." — 
326. Diccts, filius JllbinL " Pray, tell me, thou that art the son of Al- 
binus." In illustration of what he has just asserted respecting the early 
studies of the Roman youth, the poet here gives us a short but amusing 
dialogue between an instructor and his pupil, in which the former exa- 
mines the latter upon his proficiency in the art of calculation, and seeks 
to show him off to the by-standers. Albinus was a well-known usurer 
of the day, and the expression filius Mhini (i. e. tu qui es films Mbini) 
implies that the son must keep up the reputation of the family in money- 
matters, and the mysteries of reckoning. — 327. Si de quincunce remota 
est uncia, quid superet ? " If an uncia be taken from a quincunx, what 
remains ?" The Roman Jls was divided into twelve uncia, of which 
the third was termed Triens, and consisted of four uncia; the half was 
Semis, or six uncia ; and the Quincunx was five uncia. — 328. Poteras 
dixisse : Triens. " Thou surely canst tell : a third of a pound." Ac- 
cording to the lection we have adopted in our text, these words are sup- 
posed, like those which have just gone before, to proceed from the in- 
structor. He pauses, for a moment, after his first question, (si de quin- 
cwice,&cc.) in expectation of an answer from his pupil. But the poor 
boy, bewildered, no doubt, by the longa rationes to which he has been 
closely confined, remains silent. Full of eagerness, the sage instructer, 
in a half-chiding, half-encouraging tone, exclaims poteras dixisse (" why 
not answer ? surely thou knowest it,") and prompts him to the true re- 
ply. {Triens.) — Eu ! rem poteris servare tuam. " Well done, my boy, 
thou wilt be able to take care of thy own." The cry of the pedagogue, 
after the scholar has given the answer to which the former prompted 
him. — 329. Redit imcia, quid fit ? " An uncia is added, what's the re- 
sult ?" The teacher pursues his examination, but takes care to put 
an easier question, to which the boy gives the true answer : Semis ; 
" Half-a-pound." 

330 — 333. 330. An, hac animos mrugo et cura peculi, &c. This love 
of gain, observes Hurd, to which Horace imputes the imperfect state of 
the Roman poetry, has been uniformly assigned by the wisdom of an- 
cient times, as the specific bane of arts and letters. Longinus and 
Gluintilian account, from hence, for the decay of eloquence, Galen of 
physic, Petronius of painting, and Pliny of the whole circle of the libe- 
ral arts. — 332. Linenda cedro, et levi servanda cupresso. The ancients, 
for the better preservation of their manuscripts, rubbed them with oil of 
cedar, and kept them in cases of cypress. — 333. Jlut prodesse volunt aut 
deleclare poetce, &c. Horace here turns to notice another obstacle which 
lay in the path of his countrymen, and impeded their success in poetry. 
This was their inattention to the entire scope and purpose of the poetic 
art, while they contented themselves with the attainment of only one of 
the two great ends which are proposed by it. For the double design 
of poetry being to instruct and please, the full aim and glory of the art 
cannot be attained without uniting them both : that is, instructing so as 
to please, and pleasing so as to instruct. Under either head of instruc- 
tion and entertainment the poet, with great address, insinuates the main 
art of each kind of writing, which consists, 1. in instructive or didactic 
poetry, (from 335 to 338), in conciseness of precept : and 2. in works of 
fancy and entertainment, (line 338 to 341), in probability of fiction. But 
both these (line 341 to 347) must concur in a just piece. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 643 

334—345. 334. Idowa. Equivalent to Utilia.— 340. Neu pransce 
Lamia viyum puerum, &c. Alluding probably to some drama of the 
time, exhibiting so monstrous and horrible an incident. — 341. Centuries 
seniorum agitant expertia frugis. " The centuries of the old drive off 
pieces that are devoid of instruction." By the " centuries of the old," are 
meant the old generally, centuria being frequently used for an indefinite 
number, Agitant is equivalent here to abigunt, exsibilant. — 342. Celsi 
Ramnes. " The lofty Equites." The term Ramnes (or Ramnenses) de- 
notes, strictly speaking, one of the three centuries into which the equites 
were divided by Romulus. It is here, however, taken for the whole 
equestrian order. — 343. Omne tulit punctum. "Gains universal ap- 
plause." Literally, " carries off every point," i. e. vote. The allusion is to 
the mode of counting the votes at the Roman comitia, by means of dots 
or points, (puncta.) Compare Epist. 2. 2. 99. — 345. Hie liber. " Such 
a work as this," i. e. in which the author miscuit utile dulci. — Sosiis. The 
Sosii were well-known Roman booksellers. Compare Epist. 1. 20. 2. — ■ 
Et longum noto scriptori prorogat cevum. " And continues to the cele- 
brated writer a long duration of fame," i. e. prolongs his fame to distant 
ages. 

347 — 359. 347. Sunt delicta tamen, &c. The bad poet is supposed 
to object to the severity of the terms imposed by our author, and to 
urge, that if the critic looked for all these requisites, and exacted them 
with rigour, it would be impossible to satisfy him : at least, it was more 
likely to discourage, than animate, as he proposed, the diligence of 
writers. To this the reply is (from line 347 to 360.) that it was not in- 
tended to exact a faultless and perfect piece : that some inaccuracies 
and faults of less moment would escape the most cautious and guarded 
writer ; and that as he, Horace, should condemn a piece that was ge- 
nerally bad, notwithstanding a few beauties, he could, on the other 
hand, admire a work, that was generally good, notwithstanding a few 
faults.— 349. Gravem. " A flat"— Acutum. " A sharp."— 352". Fudit. 
Equivalent to adspersit. — 353. Quid ergo est? "What then is the con- 
clusion that we are to draw?" — 354. Scriptor librarius. "A tran- 
scriber." — 357. Cessat. Equivalent to peccat. — ChcerUus ille. "That 
well-known Choerilus," i. e. as stupid as another Chcerilus. Consult 
note on Epist. 2. 1. 233. — 358. Quern bis terve bonurn cum risu miror. 
" Whom, when tolerable in two or three instances, I wonder at with 
laughter." — 359. Quandoque. Put for quandocunque. 

361 — 367. 361. Utpictura, poesis, &c. Horace here goes on (from 
line 360 to 366,) to observe in favour of writers, against a too rigorous 
criticism of their productions, that, what were often called faults, were 
not so in reality: that some parts of a poem ought to be less shining, or 
less finished, than others, according to the light they were placed in, 
or the distance from which they were viewed ; and that, serving only to 
connect and lead to others of greater consequence, it was sufficient if 
they pleased once, or did not displease, provided that those others would 
please on every review. All this is said agreeably to nature, which does 
not allow every part of a subject to be equally susceptible of ornament ; 
and to the end of poetry, which cannot so well be attained without an 
inequality. The allusions to painting, which the poet uses, give this 
truth the happiest illustration. — 366. O major jurenum, &c. Addressed 
to the elder of the young Pisos. With major supply natu. — 367. Et per 
te sapis. " And art able of thyself to form correct judgments of things." 
Equivalent to et per te sapienUr judicas. — Hoc tibi dictum tolle memsrr- 



644 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

" Yet receive the precept which I here give thee, and treasure it up in 
thy remembrance : that, in certain things, mediocrity and a passable 
degree of eminence are rightly enough allowed." 

370—373. 370. Mest virtute diserti Messalce, &c. "Wants the talent 
of the eloquent Messala, and possesses not the legal erudition of Cascel- 
lius Aulus." The poet, with great delicacy, throws in a compliment to 
two distinguished individuals of the day. — 272. Mediocribus. A Graecism 
for mediocres the accusative. — 373. Columnce. "Booksellers' columns." 
Consult note on Sat. 1. 4. 71. Every thing, according to Horace, declares 
against a mediocrity in poetry. Men reject it. The gods, Apollo, Bacchus, 
and the Muses, disavow it. And the pillars of the booksellers, that is, 
booksellers' shops, refuse to receive it. The comment of Hurd is ex- 
tremely apposite : " This judgment, however severe it may seem, is ac- 
cording to the practice of the best critics. "We have a remarkable in- 
stance in the case of Apollonius Rhodius, who, though in the judgment of 
Gluintilian, the author of no contemptible poem, yet, on account of that 
equal mediocrity which every where prevails in him, was struck out of the 
list of good writers by such sovereign judges of poetical merit as Aristopha- 
nes and Aristarchus, (Quinctil. 10. 1.)" 

374 — 376. 374. Ut gratas inter mensas, &c. The poet here assigns a 
very just and obvious reason for the decision which he has just made re- 
specting mediocrity in the poetic art. As the main end of poetry is to 
please, if it does not reach that point (which it cannot do by stopping ever 
so little on this side of excellence,) it is like indifferent music, indifferent 
perfumes, or any other indifferent thing, which we can do without, and 
whose end should be to please, namely, offensive and disagreeable, and, 
for want of being very good, absolutely and insufferably bad. — 375. Cras- 
sum. Compare the explanation of Doling: " Non liquidum, sed coagula- 
tuin et rancidum." — Sardo cum melle papater. Sardinia was full of bitter 
herbs, ( Virg. Eclog. 7. 441.) whence the honey of the island was bitter and 
in bad repute. The honey of Corsica was in equally low esteem, but 
whether it was owing to the yew-trees of the island, or to some other 
cause, has been made a matter of doubt. (Compare Martyn, ad Virg. 
Eclog. 9. 30.) White poppey-seed roasted was mingled with honey 
by the ancients. — 376. Poterat duci. "Could be prolonged." 

379 — 383. 379. Ludere qui nescit, campestribus abstinet armis, &c. The 
poet (from line 379 to 391) gi-ves the general conclusion which he had in 
view, namely, that, as none but excellent poetry will be allowed, it should 
be a warning to writers how they engage in it without abilities ; or publish 
without severe and frequent correction. But to stimulate, at the same time, 
the poet, who, notwithstanding the allowances already made, might be 
somewhat struck with this last reflection, he flings out (from line 391 to 408) 
a fine encomium on the dignity and excellence of the art itself, by recount- 
ing its ancient honours. This encomium, besides its great usefulness in 
invigorating the mind of the poet, has this farther view, to recommend 
and revive, together with its honours, the office of ancient poesy : which 
was employed about the noblest and most important subjects ; the sacred 
source from which those honours were derived. — 382. Qui nescit, versus 
tamen audet fingere. " He who knows not how, yet dares to compose 
verses." — Quidni ? Liber et ingenuus, &c. " And why not pray ? He is 
free, and of a good family, above all he is rated at an equestrian 
fortune, and is far removed from every vice." Horace is thought, as 
Sanadon remarks, to have had in view some particular knight, who fan- 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 645 

cied he could write verses because he was well-bom and rich. — 383. 
Census equestrem summam nummorum. The fortune necessary to be- 
come an eques was 400 sestertia, or about 3229 pounds sterling. Summam 
is here put in the accusative by a Grsecism : secundum or quod ad being 
understood. 

385 — 390. 385. Invita Minerva. " In opposition to the natural bent 
of thy genius." A proverbial form of expression. The mind can ac- 
complish nothing, unless Minerva, the goddess of mind, lend her favour- 
ing aid. — 336. Olim. " Ever." — 387. Meed. The allusion is to Spurius 
Maecius (or Metius) Tarpa, a celebrated critic at Rome in the days of 
Augustus, who was accustomed to sit in judgment on the dramatic pro- 
ductions that were offered for the stage. Consult note on Sat. 1. 10. 38. 
— 388. Nonwnque prematur in annum. This precept, observes Colman, 
which, like many others in the present epistle, is rather retailed than in- 
vented by Horace, has been thought by some critics rather extravagant ; 
but it acquires in this place, as addressed to the elder Piso, a concealed 
archness, very agreeable to the poet's style and manner. — 339. Intus* 
Equivalent to in scrinio. — 390. Nescit vox missa reverti. Compare Epist, 
1. 18. 71. " Et semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum." 

391 — 399. 391. Silvestres homines. "The savage race of men." — 
Sacer interpresque deorum. " The priest and the interpreter of the gods." 
■ — 392. Victu foedo. The early race of men are fabled to have lived on 
acorns, roots, &c. — 393. Dictus ob hoc lenire tigres, &c. Horace here 
gives the generally-received explanation of the fable of Orpheus. The 
wild animals, &c. whom he is said to have swayed by the music of his 
lyre, were savage men. — 394. Dictus et Amphion, &c. Consult note on 
Ode 3. 11. 2. — 396. Fuit haze sapientia quondam. " For this, of old, was 
accounted wisdom." — 393. Maritis. " To those in the married state," 
i. e. both to husbands and wives, who were equally obliged by the laws 
to preserve their chastity inviolable. — 399. Leges incidere ligno. Laws 
were originally written in verse. Those of Solon were cut on tablets 
of wood. Brazen plates were afterwards employed both among thd 
Greeks and Romans. 

402 — 406. 402. Mares animos. "Manly spirits."— 403. Dicta per 
carmina sortes. The oracles here spoken of, remarks Hurd, are such as 
respect not private persons (whom a natural curiosity, quickened by 
anxious superstition, has ever prompted to pry into their future fortunes) 
but entire communities ; and for these there was little place, till ambition 
had inspired great and eventful designs, and, by involving the fate of 
nations, had rendered the knowledge of futurity important. Hence in 
marking the progress of ancient poesy, Horace judiciously postpones 
oracles, to the celebration of martial pi-owess, as being that which gave 
the principal eclat to them. This species of poetry then is rightly placed ; 
though it be true, as the commentators have objected, that oracles were 
much more ancient than Homer and the Trojan war. — 404. Et vitce mon- 
strata via est. Alluding to the productions of Hesiod, Theognis, and 
other poets, which, abounding in moral precepts, are elegantly said to 
lay open or discover the road of life. — 405. Tentata. " Was sought." — 
Ludusque repertus, et longorum operum finis. " Sports were also intro- 
duced, and festive relaxation after long-contined toil." Alluding parti- 
cularly to exhibitions of a scenic nature, the rude commencement of the 
drama. These htdi were the finis longorum operum, and succeeded to 
the labours of harvest. — 406. JVe forte pudori sit tibi Musa, &c» "Let 



.646 EXPLANATORY NOTES. EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 

not then the Muse, the mistress of the lyre, and Apollo, the god of song, 
haply bring the blush to thy cheeks," i. e. blush not therefore, Piso, to 
make court to Apollo and the Muse. 

40S — 417. 408. Natura fieret laudabile carmen, kc. In writing pre- 
cepts for poetry to young persons this question could not be forgotten. 
Horace, therefore, to prevent the Pisos falling into a fatal error, by too 
much confidence in their genius, asserts most decidedly, that Nature 
and Art must both conspire to form a poet. — 410. Rtule. Equivalent to 
incultum. — 411. Et conjurat amice. "And conspires amicably to the 
same end."— 412. Qui studet optatam, &c. The connection in the train 
of ideas is as follows : As the athlete, who aims at the prize, is com- 
pelled to undergo a long and rigorous training; and as the musician, 
who performs at the Pythian solemnities, has attained to excellence in 
his art by the strict discipline of instruction : so must he, who seeks for 
the name and the honour of a poet, undergo a long and rigorous course 
of preparatory toil and exercise. — 413. Puer. "From early life." The 
rigorous training of the ancient athletas is well known. — 414. Pythia. 
" The Pythian strains." Supply cantica. The allusion is to the musi- 
cal contests which took place at the celebration of the Pythian games. 
■ — 416. JVes satis est dixisse, kc. Horace is thought to have here had in 
view some ridiculous pretender of the day, whose only claim to the 
title of poet rested upon his own commendations of himself. — 417. Oc- 
cupet extremum scabies. " Plague take the hindmost." A proverbial 
form of expression, borrowed from the sports of the young. 

419 — 425. 419. XJt prozco ad merces, kc. The prcecones were em- 
ployed for various purposes, and, among others, for giving notice of 
sales by auction. — As regards the connection in the train of ideas, corn- 
pare the remarks of Hurd. " But there is one thing still wanting. The 
poet may be excellently formed by nature, and accomplished by art : 
but will his own judgment be a sufficient guide, without assistance from 
others ? Will not the partiality of an author for his own works some- 
times prevail over the united force of rules and genius, unless he call in 
a fairer and less interested guide ?" Doubtless it will: and therefore the 
poet, with the utmost propriety, adds (from line 419 to 450) as a neces- 
sary part of his instructive monitions, some directions concerning the 
choice of a prudent and sincere friend, whose unbiassed sense might at 
all times correct the prejudices, indiscretions, and oversights, of the au- 
thor. And to impress this necessary care with greater force, on the in- 
dividual whom he addresses, he closes the whole with showing the 
dreadful consequences of being imposed upon in so nice an affair ; re- 
presenting, in all the strength "of colouring, the picture of a bad poet, 
infatuated, to a degree of madness, by a fond conceit of his own works, 
and exposed thereby (so important had been the service of timely ad- 
vice) to the contempt and scorn of the public, — 420. Jlssentatores jubel 
ad lucrum ire poeta, &c. Supply sic, or ita, before assentatores. Faithful 
friends, as has already been stated in the preceding note, are necessary 
in order to apprise poets of their errors. Such friends, however, are 
difficult to be obtained by rich and powerful bards. Horace very justly 
compares a wealthy poet to a public crier : the latter brings crowds to- 
gether to buy up what is exposed for sale, the former is sure to collect 
around him a set of base and venal flatterers. And if he is one who 
gives good entertainments, and whose purse is open to the needy and 
unfortunate, then farewell to any means, on his part, of telling a true 
friend from a false one. — 422. Unctum qui recte ponere possit. " Who 



EXPLANATORY NOTES. — EPISTLE TO THE PISOS. 647 

can entertain a guest well," i. e. who can give a good entertainment. 
Ponere refers literally to the disposing of the guests on the couches in 
the banqueting-room. Unctum is equivalent here to convivam, and al- 
ludes to the custom of perfuming before lying down to an entertain- 
ment. — 423. Et spondere levi pro paupere. " And become security for a 
poor man, who has little credit of his own." — Jltris. " Vexatious." 
Equivalent to misere vexantibus. — 425. Beatus. " Our wealthy bard." 

426 — 432. 426. Donaris. For donaveris. The poet advises the elder 
Piso never to read his verses to a person on whom he has bestowed 
any present, or who expects to receive one from him. A venal friend 
cannot be a good critic ; he will not speak his mind freely to his patron, 
but, like a corrupt judge, will betray truth and justice for the sake of 
interest. — 429. Super his. Equivalent to insuper, or prccterea. — Eliam 
stillabit amicis ex oculis rorem. " He will even cause the dew to fall 
drop by drop from his friendly eyes." Rorem is here put for lacrymas by 
a pleasing figure. — 431. Ut quae, conducted plorant in funere. " As the 
mourning-women, who, being hired, lament at funerals," i. e. who are 
hired to lament at funerals. These were the proeficas, who were hired 
to sing the funeral-song, or the praises of the deceased, and to lament 
their departure. — 432. Dolentibus ex animo. "Than those who grieve 
from their hearts," i. e. who sincerely grieve. — Sic derisor vero plus lau- 
datore movelur. " So the flatterer, who laughs at us in his sleeve, is, to 
all appearance, more wrought upon than he who praises in sincerity." 

436 — 451. 436. Et torquere mero. "And to put to the rack with 
wine." A bold and beautiful expression. Wine racks the heart and 
draws forth all its hidden feelings, as the torture racks the frame of the 
sufferer, and forces from him the secret of his breast. — 437. Animi sub 
vidpe latentes. "Minds lying hid beneath the fox's skin." Alluding to 
deceitful and crafty flatterers. — 438. Q,uintilio. duintilius Varus, to 
whom Horace addressed the 18th ode of the first book, and whose death 
he laments in the 24th ode of the same. — Sodes. Consult note on Sat. 
1.9.41. — 439. Negares. Supply si — 441. Male tomatos versus. "Thy 
badly-polished verses." — 444. Sine rivali. The man who does what 
others are not willing to imitate, may well be said to be without a rival. 
— 445. Vir bonus et prudens versus reprehendet inertes, &c. It particu- 
larly suited Horace's purpose to paint the severe and rigid judge of com- 
position. — 446. Incomtis allinet atrum, &c. " To those that are badly 
wrought he will aflix a black mark, by drawing his pen across them." 
— 447. Calamo. Consult note on Sat. 2. 3. 7. — 450. Jlristarchus. A 
celebrated grammarian of antiquity, famed for his critical power, and 
for his impartiality as a judge of literary merit: Hence every severe 
critic was styled an Aris'tarchus. — 451. Hm nugce seria ducent in mala, 
&c. " These trifles will involve in serious mischief the man who has 
once been made the sport of the flatterer, and has met with a cold re- 
ception from the world." 

453 — 471. 453. VI mala quern scabies, &c. The order of construction 
is as follows : Qui sapiunt eum, timent tetigisse Jugiuntque vesanum poe- 
tam, ut ilium quern mala scabies, &c. — Mala scabies. " A leprosy." — Mor- 
bus regius. " The jaundice." So called because the patient must live 
delicately and like a king or wealthy person. — 456. Agitant. " Worry 
him."— 457. Subtimis. " With head erect."— 459. Longum. In length- 
ened tone." — 462. Piudens. " Of his own accord." — 465. Empedocles. 
This story about Empedocles is rejected as fictitious bvStrabo and other 



648 EXCURSUS. 

writers. — Prigidus. " In cold blood," i. e. deliberately. Horace, by 
playing on the words ardentem frigidus, wouid show, remarks Francis, 
that he did not believe the story, and told it as one of the traditions which 
poets may use without being obliged to vouch for the truth of them. 
The pleasantry continues when he says, it is murder to hinder a poet 
from killing himself. — 467. Idem facit occidenii. " Does the same thing 
with one that kills him," i. e. does the same as kill him, Occidenti is put 
by a Graecism for cum occidente, or, more elegantly, ac occidens. — 468. JVec 
semel hoc fecit. " Neither is it the first time that he has acted thus." i. e. he 
has done this before and will do it again. — 469. Homo. "A reasonable 
being," i. e. a person of sane mind. — 470. Cur versus factitet. "Why he 
is all the time making verses." — Utrum minxcrit inpatrios cineres. " "W he- 
ther he has defiled his fathers's ashes." The dead and their graves were 
ever held sacred and inviolable among all nations, especially those of 
near relations. The meaning then of the whole clause will be this : 
Whether he has been visited with madness from heaven for some great 
enormity, or not, one thing at least is certain, that he is quite beside 
himself and perfectly insane. — 471. An triste bidental mover'd incestus. 
u Or with unhallowed hands has disturbed some sad bidental." The 
bidental was a place that had been struck with lightning, and afterwards 
expiated by the erection of an altar, and the sacrifice of sheep, hostiis bi- 
dentibus ; from which last circumstance it took its name. The removal 
or disturbance of this sacred monument was deemed sacrilege, and the 
very attempt a supposed judgment from heaven, as a punishment for 
some heavy crime. 



EXCURSUS. 

HISTORY OF THE GREEK DRAMA. 



For the origin of the Grecian Drama we must go back to the annual 
festivals, which, from very remote times, the village communities were 
wont to celebrate at the conclusion of harvest and vintage. (Jlristot. Elh. 
JVic. 9. 9.—Horat. Epist. 1. 139. seqq.) On these occasions the peasantry 
enjoyed periodic relaxation from their labours, and offered grateful sacri- 
fices to their gods. Among these gods Bacchus was a chief object of vene- 
ration, as the inventor of wine and the joint patron, with Ceres, of agricul- 
ture. He appears also to have been typical of the first generating princi- 
!)le. (Museum Criticum, vol. 2. p. 70.) At these meetings that fondness 
or poetry and poetic recitation, ever peculiarly strong among the Greeks, 
combined with their keen relish for joke and raillery, naturally introduced 
two kinds of extemporaneous effusions : the one, vxpt]\dv teat lyKUfiiaartKbv, 
consisted of hymns addressed immediately to Bacchus : the other, yc\oi6- 
TcpovKal la/iBl^ov, was the offspring of wit and wine, ludicrous and satirical, 
interspersed with mutual jest and sarcasm. (Compare Epist. 2. 1. 146.) 
The loftier and more poetical song was afterwards called SiQipanBos, (Mus. 
Crit. vol. 2. p. 70. seqq.) a term probably derived from some ancient title of 
Bacchus ; as the Paean took its name from Haiav, an early appellation of 
Apollo. From these rude compositions sprang the splendid Drama of 
the Greeks : the Dithyramb gave birth to Tragedy, the other to Comedy. 



EXCURSUS. G49 

(Compare Jlrislotle, Poet. 4. 14.) In ascribing the origin of the Drama to 
these simple choruses, all scholars seem to agree. With respect to its 
subsequent progress and developement, down to the time of iEscbylus, 
considerable difference of opinion exists ; as might reasonably be expected 
on a subject known only from a few obscure notices scattered throughout 
the extant works of the ancients, and those notices frequently varying and 
contradictory. After a careful collation of the several classic passages 
bearing on the question, and an examination of what has been advanced 
by modern critics, the following account seems to come nearest the truth, 
as being consistent and probable. {Theatre of the Greeks, 2d. ed. p. 101. 
seqq.) In the first rise of the Bacchic festivals, the peasants themselves 
used promiscuously to pour forth their own unpolished and extemporane- 
ous strains. Afterwards, the more skilful performers were selected and 
formed into a chorus, which, with the accompaniment of the pipe, sang 
verses prc-composed by the Dithyrambic poets. These poets at the out- 
set were, like the chorus, simple peasants, distinguished above their fel- 
low-labourers by their natural and uncultivated talent for versifying; who, 
against these festive occasions, used to provide the chorus with a hymn. 
They in time became a numerous and peculiar body. Emulation was ex- 
cited, contests between the choruses of neighbouring districts speedily 
arose, and an ox was assigned as the prize of superior skill. (Pindar, OL 
13. 24. seqq. Compare the scholiast, ad loc.) The Dithyrambic chorus 
was also called Cyclian (KvkXios) from their dancing in a ring round the 
altar of Bacchus, whilst they sang the hymn. (Bentley, Phal. p. 80. — 
Schol. Pindar, 01. 13. 26.— Schol. JEschin. vol. 3. p. 722. ed. Reiske.) This 
exhibition never suffered any material change, but always formed an im- 
portant part of the Dionysian festival, and was performed by a chorus of 
fifty men. (Simonides, Epigr. 76.) In later ages, when a regular theatre 
was erected, a portion of it, called the Spxvarpa, or dancing-space, was set 
apart for the performance of the song and dance, round~the Qvh&th or 
altar. (Mus. Crit. vol. 2. p. 74.) 

The next advance in the developement of the Drama was the inven- 
tion of the Satyric chorus. (Schneider, de Orig. Trag. p. 7. seqq.) At 
what period and by whom this chorus was introduced are points of ut- 
ter uncertainty. Wine and merriment probably first suggested the idea 
of imitating, in frolic, the supposed appearance of the Satyrs, by fixing 
horns on the head, and covering the body with a goat's skin. The man- 
ners of these sportive beings would of course be adopted along with the 
guise, while jest and sarcasm were bandied about. Be this as it may, 
a chorus of Satyrs was by some means formed, and thenceforth became 
an established accompaniment of the Bacchic festival. It is now that 
we first discover something of a dramatic nature. The singers of the 
dithyramb were mere choristers ; they assumed no character, and exhi- 
bited no imitation. The performers in the new chorus had a part to sustain : 
they were to appear as Satyrs, and represent the character of those game- 
some deities. Hence the duties of this chorus were two-fold. As persona- 
ting the attendants of Bacchus and in conformity with the custom at his 
festivals, they sang the praises of the god ; and next they poured forth 
their ludicrous effusions, which, to a certain degree, were of a dramatic 
nature, but uttered without system or order, just as the ideas suggested 
themselves to each performer. These air<xrx£<5iae-f<ara were accompanied 
with dancing, gesticulation and grimace ; and the whole bore a closer 
resemblance to a wild kind of ballet, than to any other modern perform- 
ance. This rude species of Drama was afterwards called rpayabia (i. e. 
rpdyov y&ij), either from the goat-skin dress of the performers or, what is 



650 EXCURSUS. 

more probable, from the goat which was assigned as the prize to the 
cleverest wit and nimblest dancer in the chorus. 

Thespis, a native of Icaria, an Athenian village, was the author of the 
third stage in the progress of the Drama, by adding an actor distinct 
from the chorus. When the performers, after singing the Bacchic hymn, 
were beginning to flag in the extemporal bursts of Satyric jest and gam- 
bol which succeeded, Thespis himself used to come forward, and from 
an elevated stand exhibit, in gesticulated narration, some mythological 
story. When this was ended, the chorus again commenced their per- 
formance. (Diog. Laert. Fit. Plat. 66.) These dramatic recitations 
encroached upon the extemporal exhibitions of the chorus, and Anally 
occupied their place. Besides the addition of an actor, Thespis first 
gave the character of a distinct profession to this species of entertain- 
ment. He organised a regular chorus, which he assiduously trained in 
all the niceties of the art, but especially in dancing. (Jlthenczus, 1. 22. 
— Arisloph. Vesp. 1470.) With this band of performers he is said to have 
strolled about from village to village directing his route by the succession 
of the several local festivals, and exhibiting his novel invention upon the 
waggon, which conveyed the members and apparatus of his corps dra- 
matique. Thespis is generally considered to have been the inventor of 
the Drama. Of Tragedy, however, properly so called, he does not ap- 
pear to have had any idea. The dramatic recitations which he introdu- 
ced were probably confined to Bacchus and his adventures ; and the 
whole performance was little elevated above the levity of the Satyric 
extemporalia, which these monologues had superseded. 

Up to this period, the performance called rpayqSia had more the sem- 
blance of Comedy than of its own subsequent and perfect form. The 
honour of introducing Tragedy, in its later acceptation, was reserved for 
Phrynicus, a scholar of Thespis, who began to exhibit B. C. 511. the 
year before the expulsion of the Pisistratidce. Phrynicus dropped the 
light and ludicrous cast of the original Drama, and, dismissing Bacchus 
and the Satyrs, formed his plays from the more grave and elevated 
events recorded in the mythology and history of the country. (Plutarch. 
Symp. Quccst. 1. ] .) The change thus produced in the tone of the Dra- 
ma constitutes its fourth form. Much, however, yet remained to be 
done. The choral odes, with the accompanying dances, still composed 
the principal part of the performance ; and the loose, disjointed mono- 
logues of the single actor were far removed from that unity of plot and 
connection of dialogue which subsequent improvements produced. 

The fifth form of Tragedy owed its origin to JEschylus. He added 
a second actor to the locutor of Thespis and Phrynicus, and thus intro- 
duced the dialogue. He abridged the immoderate length of the choral 
odes, making them subservient to the main interest of the plot, and ex- 
panded the short episodes into scenes of competent extent. To these 
improvements in the economy of the Drama, he added the decorations 
of art in its exhibition. A regular stage (Vilniv. prof. libr. 7.), with ap- 
propriate scenery, was erected ; the performers were furnished with be- 
coming dresses, and raised to the stature of the heroes represented, by 
the thick-soled cothurnus ; whislt the face was brought to the heroic 
cast by a mask of proportionate size, and strongly marked character, 
which was also so contrived as to give power and distinctness to the 
voice. He paid great attention to the choral dances, and invented seve- 
ral figure-dances himself. Among his other improvements is mentioned 



EXCURSUS. 651 

the introduction of a practice, which subsequently became established as 
a fixed and essential rule, the removal of all deeds of bloodshed and 
murder from public view. In short, so many and so important were the 
alterations and additions of j^Eschylus, that he was considered by the 
Athenians as the Father of Tragedy. (Philost. Fit. Jijtoll. 6. 11.) To 
iEschylus succeeded Sophocles, who put the finishing hand to the im- 
provement of the Drama. He shortened the choral songs in proportion 
to the dialogue, improved the rhythm, introduced a third actor, a more 
laboured complication of the plot, a greater multiplicity of incidents, and 
a more complete unfolding of them, a more steady method of dwelling 
on all the points of an action, and of bringing out the more decisive ones 
with greater stage effect. 



58 



INDEX 



PROPER NAMES. 



Carm. denotes the Odes, and Serm. the Satires. The other abbreviations 
need no explanation. 



Academi silvae Epist. ii. 2. 45. 

Jlccius aufert famam sen is alti 
Epist. ii. 1. 56. Acci tragici nil 
mutat Lucilius ? Serm. i.~10. 35. 
nobiles trimetri Epist. ad Pis. 258. 

Achazm.enes dives Carm. ii. 12.21. 

Acheemenius Achaemenium cos- 
tum Carm. iii. 1. 44. Achasmenia 
nardo Epod. 13. 12. 

Achaicus ignis Carm. i. 15. 35. 
Achaico curru Carm. iv. 3. 5. 

Acheron. Acheronta perrupit 
Herculeus labor Carm. i. 3. 36. 
CLuirinus fugit Carm. iii. 3. 16. 

Acherontia. Acherontiae celsae 
nidus Carm. iii. 4. 14. 

Achilles (Phthius.) Trojae prope 
altee victor Carm. iv. 6. 4. iratus 
Epist. ii. 2. 42. Achillei classis ira- 
cundaCarm. i. 15. 34. pervicacis ad 
pedes rex (Priamus) procidit Epod. 
17. 14. Achillem insolentem Carm. 
ii. 4. 4. clarum cita mors abstulit 
Carm. ii. 16. 29. animosum Serm. 
i. 7. 12. honoratum Epist. ad Pis. 
120. Achille Serm. ii. 3. 193. 

Achivus. Achivi Epist. i. 2. 14. 
Achivos pugnaces Carm. iii. 3. 27. 
Achivis servatis Serm. ii. 3. 194. 
unctis Epist. ii. 1.33. flammisCarm. 
iv. 6. 18. 

Acrisius virginis abditae custos 
pavidus Carm. iii. 16. 5. 



Actius. Actia pugna Epist. i. 18. 
61. 

Adria vid. Hadria. 

Aeacus. Aeaci genus Carm. iii. 
19. 3. Aeacum vidimus judicantem 
Carm. ii. 13. 22. ereptum Stygiis 
fluctibus Carm. iv. 8. 25. 

Aegaeus. Aegaeum mare Epist. 
i. 11. 16. in A.egaeo patenti Carm. 
ii. 16. 1. Aegaeos tumultus Carm. 
iii. 29. 63. 

Aemilius. AemiliumludumEpist. 
ad Pis. 32. 

Aeneas pius Carm. iv. 7. 15. 
Aeneae rebus Carm. iv. 6.23. Aenea 
ab alto demissum genus Serm. ii. 5. 
63. 

Aeolides Sisyphus Carm. ii. 14.20. 

Aeolius. Aeolia puella (Sappho) 
Carm. iv. 9. 12. Aeolium carmen 
Carm. iii. 30. 13. Carm. iv. 3. 12. 
Aeoliis fidibus Carm. ii. 13. 24. 

Aeschylus persona? pallasque re- 
pertor honestae Epist. ad Pis. 279. 
eum imitati sunt Latini Epist. ii. 1. 
163. 

Aesopus gravis Epist. ii. 1. 32. 
Aesopi films Serm. ii. 3. 239. 

Aestas interitura ver proteritC arm 
iv. 7. 9. 

Aesula. Aesulas declive arvum 
Carm. iii. 29. 6. 

Aethiops Carm. iii. 6. 14. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



C53 



Jletna. Aetnen impositam ignis 
non peredit Carm. iii. 4. 76. Aetna 
in SicanaEpod. 17. 33. 

Aetolus. Aetolis plagis Epist. i. 
18. 46. 

Jlfer dirus (Hannibal) Carm. iv. 
4. 42. Afra cochlea Serm. ii. 4. 58. 
Afris serpentibus Serm. ii. 8. 95. 
Afra (Numidica) avis Epod. 2. 53. 
Afro (Tyrio) murice Carm. ii. 16. 
35. 

Afranius. Afrani toga Epist. ii. 
1.57. 

Africa ferax frumenti Serm. ii. 3. 
87. fertilis Carm. iii. 16. 31. Africa 
ultima recisas columnas Carm. ii. 
18. 5. domita Carm. iv. 8. IS. 

Jlfricanus (Scipio Africanus, Afri- 
canus Major.) Africanum, cui Vir- 
tus super Carthaginem sepulchrum 
condidit Epod. 9. 25. 

Africus protervus Epod. 16. 22. 
Africum Icariis fluctibus luctantem 
Carm. i. 1. 15. praecipitem Carm. i. 
3. 12. pestilentem Carm. iii. 23. 5. 
Africo celeri Carm. i. 14. 5. — Afri- 
cis procellis Carm. iii. 29. 57. 

Agamemnon. AgamemnonaC arm 
iv. 9. 25. 

Agaue Serm. ii. 3. 303. 

Agrippa (M. Vipsanius) Serm. ii. 
3. 185. Agrippae porticus Epist. i. 
6. 26. fructibus Siculi Epist. i. 12. 
1. virtus ibid. 26. ad eum Carm. i. 
6. 

Agyieus. levis Agyieu Carm. iv. 
6.28. 

Ajax (Telamoiiius) ab Agamem- 
none sepulturae honore prohibitus 
Serm. ii. 3. 187. insanus ibid. 201. 
immeritos occidit agnos ibid. 211. 
heros ab Achille secundus ibid. 193. 
Ajacemibid. 187. movit formaTec- 
Carm. ii. 4. 5. 



Ajax (Oileus). Ajacis impiae ra- 
tes Epod. 10. 14. Ajacem celerem 
sequi Carm. i. 15. 19. 

Albanus. Albani (sc. vini) ple- 
nus cadus Carm. iv. 11. 2. Alba- 
nam Serm. ii. 8. 16. Albanam 
uvam Serm. ii. 4. 72. Albano in 
monte Epist. ii. 1. 27. Albanis 
agris Epist. i. 7. 10. Albanos la- 
cus Carm. iv. 1. 19. Albanas se- 
cures C. S. 54. Albanis herbis 
Carm. iii. 23. 11. 



Albinovanus (Celsus). ad eum 
Epist. i. 8. 

Albinus. Albini filius Epist. ad 
Pis. 327. 

Albius Tibullus. ad eum Carm. 
i. 33. et Epist. i. 4. 

Albius. Serm. i. 4. 28. Albi fi- 
lius Serm i. 4. 109. 

Albunea. Albuneae resonantis 
domus Carm. i. 7. 12. 

Albutius. Albuti Canidia Serm. 
ii. 1. 48. sarvitia in servos Serm. ii. 
2.67. 

Alcmus sonans plenius plectro 
aureo dura mala navis fugae et belli 
Carm. ii. 13. 27. temperat Musam 
Archilochi pede Epist. i. 19. 29. 
Alcaei minaces Camense Carm. iv. 
9.7. 

Alcides. Alciden Carm. i. 12. 25. 

Alcinous. Alcinoi in cute cu- 
randa plus aequo operata juventus 
Epist. i. 2. 28. 

Alcon Serm. ii. 8. 15. 

Alexander. Alexandri fortis vul- 
tum Epist. ii. 1. 241. Alexandra 
regi Magno gratus fuit Choerilus 
ibid. 232. 

Alexandrea supplex Carm. iv. 14. 
35. 

Alfenus vafer Serm. i. 3. 130. 
_ Algidus. Algidum C. S. 69. Al- 
gido gelido Carm. i. 21. 6. nivali 
Carm. iii. 23. 9. nigras feraci fron- 
dis Carm. iv. 4. 58. 

Allifanus. Allifanis (calicibus) 
Serm. ii. 8. 39. 

Allobrox novis rebus infidelis 
Epod. 16. 6. 

Alpes. Alpium juga Epod. 1. 11. 
Alpibus tremendis arces impositae 
Carm. iv. 14. 12. Alpes hibemas 
Serm. it. 5. 41. Alpibus Rhaetia 
Carm. iv. 4. 17. 

Alphius foenerator Epod. 2. 67. 

Alpinus turgidus Serm. i. 10. 36. 

Alyattes. AlyatteiregnumCarm. 
iii. 16. 41. 

Amazonius. Amazonia secuii 
Carm. iv. 4. 20. 

Amor sui caucus Carm. i. 18. 14. 
Amori dareludum Carm. iii. 12. 1. 
Amores Carm. iv. 13. 9. lascivoa 
Carm. iv. 13. 19. ii. 11. 7. spirabat 
Carm. iv. 13. 19. 

Amphion Thebanae conditor arcis 



654 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Epist. ad Pis. 394. fraternis puta- 
tur moribus cessisse Epist. i. 18. 
43. movit lapides canendo Carm. 
iii. It. 2. Amphionis etZethi Gra- 
tia dissiluit Epist. i. 18. 41. 

Amyntas Cous Epod. 12. 18. 

Anacreon si quid olim lusit, non 
delevit aetas Carm. iv. 9. 9. Ana- 
creonta Teium Epod. 14. 10. 

Anchises clarus Anchisae Vene- 
risque sanguis C. S. 50. Anchisen 
Carm. iv. 15. 31. 

Jlncus Marcius Carm. iv. 7. 15. 
Epist. i. 6. 27. 

Andromeda clarus Andromedae 
pater Carm. iii. 29. 17. 

Anio praceps Carm. i. 7. 13. 

Antenor Epist. i. 2. 9. 

Anticyra Anticyram Serm. ii. 3. 
83. et 166. Anticyris tribus insa- 
nabile caput Epist. ad Pis. 300. 

Antilochus. Antilochum amabi- 
lemCarm. i. 9. 14. 

Antiochus. Antiochum ingentem 
Carm. iii. 6. 36. 

Antiphates. Antiphatem Epist. 
ad Pis. 145. 

Antium gratum Carm. i. 35. 1. 

Antonius (Triumvir). Antoni 
amicus Serm. i. 5. 33. 

Antonius Musa Epist. i. 15. 3. 

Antonius (lulus), ad eum Carm. 
iv. 11. 

Anxur impositum saxis late can- 
dentibus Serm. i. 5. 26. 

Anytus. Any ti reum Serm. ii. 4. 3. 

Apella Judaeus Serm. i. 5. 100. 

Apelles. ab eo Alexander pingi 
voluit Epist. ii. 1. 239. 

Apenninus celsus Epod. 16. 29. 

Apollo Epist. i. 16. 59. augur 
Carm. i. 2. 32. certus 7. 28. cantor 
Epist. ad Pis. 407. Palatinus Epist. 
i. 3. 17. mitis placidusque telo con- 
dito C. S. 34. Delius et Patareus 
Carm. iii. 4. 64. magnus Serm. ii. 
5. 60. suscitat cithara tacentem 
Musam Carm. ii. 10. 20. sic me 
servavit Serm. i. 8. 78. viduus pha- 
retra risit Carm. i. 10. 12. Apolli- 
nis intonsi capilli Epod. 15. 9. na- 
talis Delos Carm. i. 21. 12. Apol- 
linem dedicatum Carm. i. 31. 1. 
Apolline Delphos insignes Carm. 
i. 7. 3. munus dignum Epist. ii. 1. 
216. ad eum Carm. i. 21. 31. Carm. 



4. 6. — Apollinaris laurea Carm. iv. 
2. 9. 

Appia nimis est gravis tardis 
Serm. i. 5. 6. Appiam Epod. 4. 14. 

Appius Claudius Caecus censor 
Serm. i. 6. 21. Appi via Epist. i. 6. 
26. Epist. i. 18. 20. 

Appulia Serm. i. 5. 77. Appuli; 
altricis extra limen Carm. iii. 4. 10. 
siticulosoe Epod. 3. 16. 

Appidicus. Appulicum mare 
Carm. iii. 24. 4. 

Appidus Carm. iii. 5. 9. impiger 
Carm. iii. 16. 26. Appula gens 
Serm. ii. 1. 38. Appuli pernicis 
uxor Epod. 2. 42. Dauni Carm. iv. 
14. 26. Appulo in Vulture Carm. 
iii. 4. 9. Appulis lapis Carm. i. 
33. 7. 

Aquinates. Aquinatem fucum 
Epist. i. 10. 27. 

Arabes. Arabum divitiae Epist 
i. 7. 36. thesauri Carm. iii. 24. 2. 
gazas Carm. i. 29. 1. domus plena? 
Carm. ii. 12. 24. Arabas Carm. i. 
35. 40. extremos Epist. i. 6. 6. 

Arbuscula explosa Serm. i. 10. 
77. 

Arcadia. Arcadia? pecus et nigri 
colles Carm. iv. 12. 12. 

Archiacus. Archiaci lecti Epist. 
i. 5. 1. 

Archilochus. Archilochi Musa 
pede temperant Sappho et Alca ud 
Epist. i. 19.29. Archilochum ma B 
nificat Horatius Serm. ii. 3. 12. et 
imitatus est Epist. i. 19. 25. pro- 
prio rabies armavit iambo Epist. 
ad Pis. 79. 

Archytas, ad eum Carm. i. 28. 

Arctos. Arcton opacam excipie- 
bat porticus, Carm. ii. 15. 16. sub 
Arcto rex gelidae orae, Carm. i. 26. 3. 

Arcturus. Arcturi cadentis sae- 
vus impetus Carm. iii. 1. 27. 

Arellius. Arelli sollicitas opes 
Serm. ii. 6. 78. 

Argeus. Argeo colono Carm. ii. 
6.5. 

Argivus. Argivi auguris (Am- 
pkiarai) domus Carm. iii. 16. 11. 
Argivis Carm. iii. 3. 67. 

Argonautoz Epod. 3. 9. 

Argos aptum equis Carm. i. 7. 8. 
Argis Epist ii. 2. 128. Serm. ii. 3. 
132. Epist. ad Pis. 118. 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



655 



Argous. Argoo remige Epod. 1 6. 
57. 
Aricia. Serm. i. 5. 1. 
Jiricinus. Aricini arvi Epist. ii. 

2. 167. 

Ariminenses. Ariminensem Fo- 
liam Epod. 5. 42. 
B Aristarchus Epist. ad Pis. 450. 

Aristippus Epist. i. 17. 14. aurum 
projicere jubet servos Serm. ii. 3. 
100. Aristippi sententia Epist. i. 
17. 17. prcecepta Epist. i. 1. IS. 
Aristippum omnis decuit color et 
status et res Epist. i. 17. 23. 

Jiristius Fuscus mihi (Horatio) ca- 
ms Serm. i. 9. 61. ad eum Carm. i. 
22. et Epist. i. 10. 

Aristophanes Serm. i. 4. 1. 

Armenius Claudi virtute Neronis 
cecidit Epist. i. 12. 26. Armeniis 
oris Carm. ii. 9. 4. 

Arrius (Q.) Arri arbitrio Serm.ii. 

3. 86. progenies ibid. 243. 

Asia (major). Asiae pingues cam- 
pi collesque Epist. i. 3. 5. 

Asia (minor). Asiae solem Brutum 
appellat Epist. i. 7. 24. Asiam di- 
tem ibid. 19. 

Assaracus. Assaraci tellus Epod. 
13. 13. 

Assyrius (pro : Syrius) Epist. ad 
Pis. 118. Assyrii litoris arentes 
arenas Carm. iii. 4. 32. Assyria 
f *jardo Carm. ii. 11. 16. 
r , , Asterie. ad earn Carm. iii. 7. 

Atabuhis Serm. i. 5. 78. 

Athenas bonae Epist. i. 2. 43. Athae- 
nas vacuas ibid. 81. Athenis Epist. 
ii. 1. 213. sordidus ac dives, qui po- 
puli voces contemnebat Serm. i. 1. 
64. doctor mallet vivere Serm. ii. 7. 
13. 

Atlanteus finis Carm. i. 34. 11. 

Atlanticus. Atlanticum 33quor 
Carm.i. 31. 14. 

Atlas. Atlantis nepos, Mercuri 
Carm. i. 10. 1. 

Atreus nefariushumana exta coxit 
Epist. ad Pis. 186. 

Atridcz. Atridis Serm. ii. 3. 203. 
Atridas superbos Serm. i. 10. 13. — 
Atrides (Agamemnon): inter Atri- 
den et Peliden lites Nestor compo- 
nere festinat Epist. i. 2. 12. Atrida 
vetat Ajacemhumari Serm. ii. 3. 187. 
Atrida (Menelae) Epist. i. 7. 43. 



Atta (T. Quinctius). Attoe fabula 
Epist. ii. 1. 79. 

Attalicus. Attalicis conditionibus 
Carm. i. 1. 12. urbibus Carm. i. 11. 
5. 

Attains. Attali regia Carm. ii. 
IS. 5. 

Atticus. Attica virgo Serm. ii. 8. 
13. Atticis finibus Carm. i. 3. 6. 

Auctumnus Epod. 2. 18. purpu- 
reo varius colore Carm. ii. 5. 11. po- 
mifer C arm. iv. 7. 1 1 . gravis Libitina 
quasstus acerbae. Serm. ii. 6. 19. 

Aufidius Luscus forti miscebat 
mel la Falerno Serm. ii. 4. 24. Au- 
fidio Lusco preetore Serm. i. 5. 34. 

Aufidus videns Carm. iii. 30. 10. 
tauriformis Carm. iv. 14. 25, acer 
Serm. i. I. 58. Aufidum sonantem 
Carm. iv. 9. 12. 

Augustus purpureo bibit ore nec- 
tar Carm. iii. 3. 11. proesens Divus 
habebitur Carm. iii. 2. 3. August! 
tropasa Carm. ii. 9. 19. fortis super 
impetrato reditu Carm. iv. 2. 43. pa- 
ternus animus in pueros Nerones 
Carm. iv. 4. 27. privignus Claudius 
Epist. i. 3. 2. res gestas ibid. 7. lau- 
des Epist. i. 16. 29. Caesaris lacer- 
tis Epist. ii. 2. 48. Auguste Carm. 
iv. 14. 3. ad eum Carm. i. 2. et 12. 
Carm. iv. 5. 14. et 15. Epist. ii. 1. 
in ejus reditum ex Hispania Carm. 
iii. 14. vid. Ccesar. 

Aulis Serm. ii. 3. 199. 

Aulon, amicus fertili Baccho 
Carm. ii. 6. 18. 

Aulus. Aule Serm. ii. 3. 171. 

Ausonius. Ausonias (Italas) ur- 
bes Carm. iv. 4. 56. 

Auster, dux turbidus inquieti Ha 
driae Carm. in, 3. 4. Austrum no- 
centem corporibus per auctumnos 
Carm. ii. 14. 16. 

Aventinus. Aventinum tenet Dia- 
na C. S. 69. Aventino extremo 
Epist. ii. 2. 96. 

Avernalis. A vernales aquas Epod. 
5. 26. 

Avidienus, cui Canis cognomen 
adhaeret Serm. ii. 2. 55. 



B 



Babylonius. Babylonios numeros 
Carm. i. 11.2. 



656 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



BacchcR valentes proceras mani- 
busverterefraxinosCarm.iii. 25. 15. 

Bacchius compositus cum Bitho 
Carm. i. 7. 20. 

Bacchus languescit in amphora 
Carm.iii. 16. 34. vehitur tigris Carm. 
iii. 3. 14. Bacchi pleno pectore 
Carm. ii. 19. 6. somno gaudentis et 
umbra Epist. ii. 2. 78. Baccho fer- 
tili Carm. i. 6. 19. Bacchum vere- 
cundum Carm. i. 27. 3. vidi docen- 
tem carminaCarm. ii. 19. 1. Baeche 
Carm. iii. 25. 1. pater Carm. i. 18. 
6. Io Baeche Serm. i. 3. 7. Bac- 
cho Thebas insignes Carm. i. 7. 3. 
in eumCarm. ii. 19. Carm. iii. 25. 

Bactra, Cyro regnata Carm. iii. 
29. 28. 

Baiaz liquidae Carm. iii. 4. 24. 
Baiis mare obstrepens Carm. ii. 18. 
20. amcenis Epist. i. 1. 83. Baias 
Epist. i. 15. 12. supervacuas ibid. 2. 

Baianus. Baiano murice Serm. ii. 
4.32. 

Balatro (Servilius). umbra Maece- 
natis in Nasidieni convivio Serm.ii. 
8.21. invertitvinaria tota Aliphanis 
ibid. 40. suspendens omnia naso ib. 
64. Balatroniib. 33. secundo ib. 83. 

Balbinus Serm. i. 3. 40. 

Bandusia. Bandusiae fons Carm. 
iii. 13. 1. 

Bantinus. Bantinos salus Carm. 
iii. 4. 15. 

Barbaria. Barbariae Graecia len- 
to collisa duello Epist. i. 2. 7. 

Baring, ad earn Carm. ii. 8. 

Barium. Barf piscosi moenia 
Serm. i. 5. 97. 

Barrus foedo morbo laboravit 
Serm. i. 6. 30. inops Serm. i. 4. 110. 
maledicus Serm. i. 7. 8. 

Bassareus. Bassareu candide 
Carm. i. 18. 11. 

Bassus. Carm. i. 36. 14. 

Bathyllus. Bathyllo Samio Epod. 
14. 9. 

Bellerophon. Bellerophonti nimis 
casto Carm. iii. 7. 15. Bellerophon- 
tem. terrenum equitem Carm. iv. 
11. 28. Bellerophonte eques melior 
Carm. iii. 12. 7. 

Bellona gaudens cruentis Serm. 
ii. 3. 223. 

Beneventum. Serm. i. 5.71. _ 

Berecyntius. Berecyntiae tibiae 



Carm. iv. 1. 22. Carm. iii. 19. 18. 
Berecyntio cornu Carm. i. 18. 13. 

Bestius corrector Epi3t. i. 15. 37. 

Bibaculus (Furius) pingui tentus 
omaso Serm. ii. 5. 41. 

Bibulus (M. Calpurnius). Bibuli 
consulis Carm. iii. 28. 9. Bibule 
Serm. i. 10. 86. 

Bioneus. Bioneis sermonibus 
Epist. ii. 2. 60. 

Birrius latro Serm. i. 4. 69. 

Bislonides. Bistonidum crines 
Carm. ii. 19.20. 

Bithus. Serm. i.7. 20. 

Bithynus, Bithyna carina Carm. 
i. 35. 7. negotia Epist. i. 6. 33. 

Boeotii. Boeotum in crasso aere 
Epist. ii. 1. 244. 

Bolanus Serm. i. 9. 11. 

Boreas. Boreae finitimum latua 
mundi Carm. iii. 24. 28. 

Bosporus. Bospori gementis 
Carm. ii. 20. 1-4. Bosporum navita 
Poenus perhorrescit Carm. ii. 13. 
14. insanientem Carm. iii. 4. 30. 

Breuni. Breunos veloces Carm. 
iv. 14.11. 

Briseis niveo colore movit Achil- 
lem Carm. ii. 4. 3, 

Britannus intactus Epod. 7. 7. 
Britannis remotis Carm. iv. 14. 48. 
adjectis imperio (Romana) Carm. 
iii. 5. 3.Britannos Carm. i. 21. 15. 
ultimos orbis Carm. i. 35. 30. feroa 
hospitibus Carm. iii. 4. 33. 

Brundisium Serm. i. 5. 104. Epist. 
i. 17. 52. Epist. i. 18. 20. 

Brutus (M. Junius). Brutum 
Asiae solem appellat Persius Serm. 
i. 7. 23. Brute ib. 33. Bruto prae- 
tore tenente Asiam ib. 19. militiae 
duce Carm. ii. 7. 2. 

Brutus con viva Horatii Epist. i. 
5. 76. 

Bullatius. ad eum Epist. i. 11. 

Bupalus. Bupalo acer hostis 
(Hipponax) Epod. 6. 14. 

Butra Epist. i. 5. 26. 

Byzantius. Byzantia orca Serm. 
ii. 4. 66. 



Cadmus ( Thebarum conditor) 
Epist. ad Pis. 187. 

Cadmus (carnifex Romae) Serm. 
i. 6. 39. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



G57 



Caecilius vincere dicitur gravitate 
Epist. ii. 1. 59. nova verba finxit 
Epist. ad Pis. 54. 

Caecubus. CaecubumCarm. i. 20. 

9. Epod. 9. 36. antehac nefas de- 
promere cellis avitis Carm. i. 37. 5. 
reconditum Carm. iii. 28. 3. repos- 
tum ad festas dapes Epod. 9. 1. 
Caecuba vinaSerm.ii. 8. 15. serva- 
ta centum clavibus Carm. ii. 14. 
25. 

Caeres, Caerite cera Epist. i. 6. 
62. 

Caesar (Jlugustus), Herculis mo- 
do dictus morte venalem petiisse 
laurum Hispana repetit Penates 
victor ab ora Carm. iii. 14. 3. qui 
cogere posset (Tigellium, ut canto- 
ret), non quidquam proficeret 
Serm. i. 3. 4. Caesaris egregii lau- 
des Carm. i. 6. 11. Augusti tropaea 
Carm. ii. 9. 20. proelia Carm. ii. 12. 

10. egregii aeternum decus Carm. 
iii. 25. 4. omne periculum subis 
(Maecenas) Epod. 1. 3. invicti res 
Serm. ii. 1. 11. attentam aurem ib. 
19. jus imperiumque accepit Phraa- 
tes Epist. i. 12. 28. oculos auresque 
Epist. i. 13. 18. Augusti lacertis 
Epist. ii. 2. 48. Caesarem Carm. iv. 
2. 34. iturum in ultimos orbis Bri- 
tannos Carm. i. 35. 29. altum 
Carm. iii. 4. 37. patria quaerit 
Carm. iv. 5. 16. Caesar Carm. i. 2. 
52. Carm. iv. 15. 4. Epist. ii. 1. 4. 
Caesare principe Carm. i. 21. 14. 
tenente terras Carm. iii. 14. 16. re- 
cepto Carm. iv. 2. 48. incolumi 
Carm. iv. 5. 27. custode rerum 
Carm. iv. 15. 17. victore Epod. 9. 
2. judice Serm. ii. 1. 84. nato Epist 
i. 5. 9. vid. Jlugustus. 

Caesar (Julius). Caesaris ultor 
Carm. i. 2. 44. horti Serm. i. 9. 18. 

Calaber hospes Epist. i. 7. 14. 
Calabrae apes Carm. iii. 16. 33. 
Pierides Carm. iv. 8. 20. Calabris 
saltibus Epist. ii. 2. 177. Calabros 
sinus Carm. 1. 33. 16. Calabris 
pascuis Epod. 1. 27. 

Calabria. Calabriae aestuosae 
armenta grata Carm. i. 31. 5. 

Calais, Thurini Alius Ornyti 
Carm. iii. 9. 14. 

Calenum. Caleno praelo Carm. 
i. 20. 9. Calena falce Carm. i. 31. 9. 



Cales. Calibus Liberum pressum 
Carm. iv. 12. 14. 
— Callimachus Epist. ii. 2. 100. 
Calliope, ad earn Carm. iii. 4. 
Calvus (C Licinius) Serm. i. 10. 
19. 

Camena. Camenae Dauniae de- 
cus Carm. iv. 6. 27. Graiae spiri- 
tum tenuem Carm. ii. 16. 38. inhu 
manae senium Epist. i. IS. 47. Ca- 
menae Carm. iii. 4. 21. dulces Epist. 
i. 19. 5. gaudentes rure Serm. i. 10. 
45. graves Stesichori Carm. iv. 9. 
8. novem Camenis C. S. 62. — Ca- 
menae Tragicae ignotum genus 
Epist. ad Pis. 275. Camena insigni 
Carm. i. 12. 39. summa Epist. 1. 1. 
Camillus (M. Furius) Carm. i. 
12. 42. 

Campanus. Campana supellex 
Serm. i. 6. 118. Campano ponti 
Serm. i. 5. 45. Campanum mor- 
bum ibid. 62. Campana trulla 
Serm. ii. 3. 144. Campanis agris 
Serm. ii. 8. 56. 

Campus Martins. Campi Martii 
gramina Carm. iv. 1. 40. ibi homi- 
nes otiosi ambulare et fabulari so- 
lebant Epist. i. 7. 59. 

Canicula. Caniculfesestus Carm. 
i. 17. 17. flagrantis atrox hora 
Carm. iii. 13. 19. 

Canidia an malas tractavit dapes? 
Epod. 3. 8. brevibus implicata vi- 
peris crines et incomtum caput 
Epod. 5. 15. irresectum sasva dente 
livido rodens pollicem Epod. 5. 48. 
Albuti Serm. ii. 1. 48. ad earn 
Epod. 5. Epod. 17. 

Canis (sidus cceleste) rabiem Epist 
i. 10. 16. 

Canis (cognomen Jlvidieni) Serm. 
ii. 2. 56. 

Cantaber Agrippas virtute cecidit 
Epist. i. 12. 26. non ante domabilis 
Carm. iv. 14. 41. sera domitus ca- 
tena servit Hispanse vetus hostis 
oras Carm. iii. 8. 22. bellicosus 
Carm. ii. 11. 1. Cantabrum indoc- 
tum juga ferre nostra Carm. ii.6.2. 
Cantabricus. Cantabrica bella 
Epist. i. 18. 55. 

Canusinus. Canusini bilinguis 
more Serm. i. 10. 30. 

Canusium. Canusi Serm. i. 5. 
91. Serm. ii. 3. 168. 



658 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



Capito (Fonteius,) ad unguem 
factus homo Serm. i. 5. 32. 

Capitolinus Serm. i. 4. 95. Capi- 
tolini Petilli furtis ib. 94. 

Capitolium fulgens Carm. iii. 3. 
42. regina (Cleopatra) dementes 
ruinas parat Carm. i. 37. 6. quo 
clamor vocat et turba faventium 
Carm. iii. 24. 45. Capitolio Carm. 
iv. 3. 9. dum scandet cum tacita 
Virgine pontifex Carm. iii. 30. 8. 

Cappadox. Cappadocum rex 
mancipiis loo.uples Epist. i. 6. 39. 

Capra. Caprae insana sidera 
Carm. iii. 7. 6. 

Capricornus tyrannus Hesperiae 
undae Carm. ii. 17. 20. 

Caprius Serm. i. 4. 66. 

Capua Epist. i. 7. 48. Capua? 
semula virtus Epod. 16. 5. muli 
clitellas ponunt Serm. i. 5. 47. 

Carina. Carinas Epist. i. 7. 48. 

Carpathius. Carpathii maris 
sequora Carm. i. 35. 8. Carpathi- 
um pelagus Carm. iv. 5. 10. 

Carthago. Carthaginis impias 
stipendia Carm. iv. 8. 17. invidae 
superbas arces Epod. 7. 5. Car- 
tbagini nuncios mittam superbos 
Carm. iv. 4. 69. super Carthagi- 
nem virtus Africano sepulchrum 
condidit Epod. 9. 25. Carthagine 
oppressa Serm. ii. 1. 66. 
C<wceWzus./2?/htsEpist.adPis.371. 

Caspius. Caspium mare Carm. 
iii. 9. 2. 

Cassius (Etruscus.) Cassi Etrus- 
ci ingenium rapido ferventius amni 
Serm. i. 10. 62. 

Cassius (Parmensis.) Cassi Par- 
mensis opuscula Serm. 1. 4. 3. 

Cassius (Severus.) ad eum Epod. 
6. 

Cassius (Nomentanus) Serm. i. 
1. 102. Nomentano nepoti Serm. 
i. 8. 11. Nomentanum ne sequere 
Serm. ii. 3. 175. arripe mecum ibid. 
224. 

Castalia. Castaliae rore puro 
Carm. iii. 4. 61. 

Castor ( Jovis ex Leda Alius) of- 
fensus infamis Helenas vice Epod. 
17. 42. gaudet equis Serm. ii. 1. 26. 
Castoris Graecia memor Carm. iv. 
5. 35. magni frater Epod. 17. 43. 
Castore Epist. ii. 1. 5. 



Castor (gladiator) Epist i. 18. 
19. 

Catia Serm. i. 2. 95. 

Catienus. Catienismille ducen- 
tis " Mater te appello"clamantibus 
Serm. ii. 3. 61. 

Catilus. Catili mcenia Carm. i. 
IS. 2. 

Catius Serm. ii. 4. 1. Cati docte 
ib. 88. 

Cato Censorius (M.) Catonis 
prisci virtus saepe mero caluisse 
narratur Carm. iii. 21. 11. intonsi 
auspiciis Carm. ii. 15. 11. sermo- 
nem patrium novis verbis locuple- 
tavit Epist. ad Pis. 56.sententiadia 
Serm. i. 2. 32. Catonibus priscis 
memorata situs informis premit 
Epist. ii. 2. 117. 

Cato Uticensis (M.) Catonis no- 
bile letum Carm. i. 12. 35. virtutem 
moresque Serm. i. 19. 14. 

Catullus Serm.' i. 10. 19. 

Caucasus. Caucasum inhospita 
lem Epod. 1. 12. Carm. i. 22. 7. 

Caudium. Caudi cauponae Serm 
i.5. 51. 

Cecropius (Micus.) Cecropiae 
domus opprobrium Carm. iv. 12. 6. 
Cecropio cothumo Carm. ii. 1. 12. 

Celsus Epist. i. 3. 15. 

Censorinus ( C. Martins.) ad eum 
Carm. iv. 8. 

Centaur ens. Centaurea cum La- 
pithis rixa Carm. i. 18. 8. 

Centaurus nobiliis ( Chiron) Epod. 
13. 11. — Centauri justa morte ceci- 
dere Carm. iv. 2. 15. 

Ceraunia alta infames scopulos 
Carm. i. 3. 20. 

Cerberus insons Carm. ii. 19. 29. 
immanis janitor aulas Carm. iii. 11. 
15, 16. 

Ceres nutrit rura Carm. iv. 5. 18. 
venerata, ut culmo surgeret alto 
Serm. ii. 2. 124. Cereris arcanae 
sacrum Carm. iii. 2. 26. sacra Serm. 
ii. 8. 14. Cererem spicea corona 
donet C. S. 30. — Cererem jugera 
immetata ferunt Carm. iii. 24. 12. 
tellus inarata reddit Epod. 16. 43. 

Cerinthus Serm. i. 2. 81. 

Cervius (calumniator) iratus le- 
ges minitatur et urnam Serm. ii. 1. 
47. 

Cervius (Horatii in Sabinis vici* 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



659 



nus) aniles fabellas garrit Serm. ii. 
6.77. 

Cethegus (M. Cornelius.) Cethe- 
gis priscis memorata situs informis 
premit Epist. ii. 2. 117. cinctutis 
Epist. ad Pis. 50. 

Ceus. Ceas naeniasmuneraCarm. 
ii. 1. 38. Camenae Carm. iv. 9. 8. 

Charon, safelles Orci Carm. ii. 

18. 34. 

Charybdis. Charybdin Epist, ad 
Pis. 145. Charybdi Carm. i. 27. 19. 

Chimazra. Chimrerae igneae spiri- 
tus Carm. ii. 17. 13. tremendae 
flammae Carm. iv. 2. 16. Chimaera 
triformi Carm. i. 27. 24. 

Chios. Epist. i. 11. 1. 21. 

Chius. Chium vinum Carm. iii. 

19. 1 5. Epod. 9. 34. Serm. i. 10. 24. 
Serm. ii. 3. 1 1 5. Serm. ii. 8. 1 5. et 18. 

Chloe. Thressa me nunc regit 
dulces docta modos et citharae 
sciens Carm. iii. 9. 9. flava ib. 19. 
Chloen Carm. iii. 7. 10. Carm. iii. 

9. 6. arrogantem Carm. iii. 26. 12. 
ad earn Carm. i. 23. 

Chloris, albo sic humero nitens, 
ut pura nocturno renidetluna mari 
Carm. ii. 5. IS. ad earn Carm. iii. 
15. 

Choerilus gratus Alexandra fuit 
Epist. ii. 1 . 232. quem cum risu mi- 
ror Epist. ad Pis. 357. 

Chretnes avarus Epod. 1. 33.ira- 
tus tumido delitigat ore Epist. ad 
Pis. 94. Chremeta senem Serm. i. 

10. 40. 

Chrysippus Serm. i. 3. 127. Serm. 
ii. 3. 287. Chrysippi porticus et 
grex Serm. ii. 3. 44. hoc quoque 
(superstitiosum hominum genus) po- 
nit in gente Meneni Chrysippo 
Epist. i. 2. 4. 

Cibyraticus. Cibyratica negotia 
Epist. i. 6. 33. 

Cicuta. Cicutae nodosi tabulas 
centum Serm. ii. 3. 69. Cicutam 
ib. 175. 

Cinara, bonae sub regno Cinarae 
Carm. iv. 1. 4. protervae fugam 
Epist. i. 7. 28. Cinarae breves an- 
nos fata dederunt Carm. iv. 1 3. 22. 
rapaci Epist. i. 14. 33. Cinaram 
Carm. iv. 13. 21. 

Circceus. Circaea mrjenia(Tz«cu- 
lum) Epod. 1. 30. 



Circe. Circes pocula Epist. i. 2. 
23. Circen vitream Carm. i. 17. 20. 
Circa volente Epod. 17. 17. 

Circeii. Circeiis ostrea oriuntur 
Serm. ii. 4. 33. 

Claudius barbarorum agmina 
vasto impetu diruit Carm. iv. 14. 
29. Augusti privignus Epist. i. 3. 
2. Claudi Neronis virtute Arme- 
nius cecidit Epist. i. 12. 26. Claudi 
Epist i. 9,1. 

Claudius. Claudias manus Carm. 
iv. 4. 73. 

Clazomence Serm. i. 7. 5. 

Cleopatra Serm. i. 37. 7. 

Clio Carm. i. 12. 2. 

Clusinus. Clusinis fontibus Epist. 
i. 15. 9. 

Cocceius Nerva (jurisconsultus) 
Serm. i. 5.28. Cocceii plenissima 
villa ib. 50. 

Cocytos, ater, flumine languido 
errans Carm. ii. 14. 17. 

Codrus, pro patria non timidus 
mori Carm. iii. 19. 2. 

Calius Serm.i. 4. 69. 

Colchis impudica (Medea) Epod. 

16. 58. 3. 

Colchus Carm. ii. 20. 17. Epist 
ad Pis. 118. Colchi monstrum sub- 
misere Carm. iv. 4. 63, Colcha ve- 
nena Carm. ii. 13. 8. 

Colophon Epist. i. 11. 3. 

Concanus. Concanum laetum 
equino sanguine Carm. iii. 4. 34. 

Copia aurea fruges Italian pleno 
defudit cornu Epist. i. 12. 29. beata 
pleno cornu apparet C. S. 60. 

Coranus Serm. ii. 5. 57. 

Corinthus captiva Epist. ii. 1. 193. 
Corinthi bimaris mcenia Carm. i. 7. 
2. Corinthum Epist. i. 17. 36. 

Corvinus vid. Messala. 

Corybantes Carm. i. 16. 8. 

Corycius crocus Serm. ii. 4. 68. 

Cotiso. Cotisonis Daci agmen 
occidit Carm. iii. 8. 18. 

Cotyttius. Cotyttia (sacra) Epod. 

17. 56. 

Cous Amyntas Epod. 12. 18. 
Coa fascula Serm. ii. 8. 9. Coo (sc. 
vino) albo Serm ii. 4. 29. Coae pur- 
puras Carm. iv. 13. 13. Cois (vesti~ 
bns) Serm.i. 2. 101. 

Cragus viridis Carm. i. 21. 8. 

Grantor Epist. i. 2. 4. 



660 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Crassus, Crassi miles Carm. 5. 5. 
Craterus Serm. ii. 3. 161. 
Cratinus Serm. i. 4. 1. vini potor 
insignis Epist. i. 19. 1 

Creon. Creontis magni filia Epod. 
5. 64. 

Cressus. Cressa nota Carm. i. 36. 
10. 

Creta. Creten centum urbibus 
potentem Carm. iii. 27. 34. centum 
urbibus nobilem Epod. 9. 29. 

Creticus. Creticum mare Carm. 
i. 26. 2. 

Crispinus minimo me provocat 
Serm. i. 4. 14. Crispini lippi scrinia 
Serm. i. 1. 120. janitor Serm. ii. 7. 
45. Crispinum ineptum Serm. i. 3. 
139. 

Crasus. CrcesiSardisregia Epist. 
i. 11.2. 

Cum.ce, Epist. i. 15. 11. 

Cupido circum volat Venerem 
Carm. i. 2. 34. ferus Carm. ii. 8. 14. 
Cupidinis liberi sacrum Epod. 17. 
57. Cupidinem lentum sollicitas 
Carm iv. 15. 5. Cupidinum dul- 
cium mater saeva Carm. iv. 1. 5. cf. 
Carm. i. 19. 1. — Cupido sordidus 
{avaritia) Carm. ii. 16. 15. 

Cupiennius Libo, Serm. i. 2. 36. 

Curius Dentatus (M.) Curium 
incomtis capillis Carm. i. 12. 41. 
maribusCuriis Epist. i. 1. 64. 

Curtillus Serm. ii. 8. 52. 
Cyclades. Cycladas nitenf.es Carm. 
i. 14. 20. fulgentes Carm. iii. 28. 
14. 

Cyclops (Polyphemus.) Epist. ad 
Pis. 145. Cyclopa agrestem Epist. ii. 
2. 125. Cyclopum graves officinas 
Carm. i. 4. 7. — Cyclopa saltaret 
Serm. i. 5. 63. agrestem movetur 
Epist. ii. 2. 125. 

Cydonius arcus Carm. iv. 9. 17. 

Cylleneus. Cyllenea fide Epod. 
13. 13. 

Cynthius. Cynthiae (Diana) ce- 
teris spicula Carm. iii. 28. 12. 
Cynthium (Jlpollinem) intonsum 
Carm.i. 11.2. 

Cyprius. Cypria trabe Carm. i. 
1. 13. Cypriae merces Carm. iii. 
29. 60. 

Cyprus. Cypri Diva potens Carm. 
i. 3. 1. Cyprum deseruit Venus 
Carm. i. 19. 10. Cypron dilectam 



sperne Carm. i. 30. 2. beatam Carm. 
iii. 26. 9. 

Cyi~us (Persici regni conditor.) 
Cyri solium Carm. ii. 2. 17. Cyro 
regnata Bactra Carm. iii. 29. 27. 

Cyrus (juvenis protervus.) Cyri 
amor Lycorida torret, Cyrus in 
Pholoen declinat Carm. i. 33. 6. Cy- 
rum protervum Carm. L 17. 25. 

Cythereus. Cytherea Venus Carm. 
i. 4. 5. Cythereae puer ales Carm. 
iii. 12.3. 



Dacus asper Carm. i. 35. 9. qui 
dissimulat metum Marsas cohortis 
Carm. ii. 20. 18. missilibus melioi 
sagittis Carm. iii. 6. 14. Dacis Serm. 
ii. 6. 53. 

Dcedaleus. Daedaleo Icaro Carm. 
ii. 20. 13. Daedalea ope Carm. iv. 
2.2. 

Dadalus. expertus pennis va- 
cuum aera Carm. i. 3. 34. 

Dalmaticus. Dalmatico triumpho 
Carm. ii. 1. 16. 

Dama sodalis Serm. ii. 5. 101. 
Damae Serm. i. 6. 38. spurco Serm. 
i. 5. 18. Dama judice Serm. ii. 7. 
54. 

Damalis multi meri Carm. i. 36. 
13. lascivis hederis ambitiosior ibid. 
18. Damalin ib. 17. 

Damasippus msanit veteres statu- 
es emendo Serm. ii. 3. 64. Dama- 
sippi creditor ib. 65. Damasippe ib. 
16. 

Dame. Danaen inclusam Carm. iii. 
16. 1. 

Danaus. Danai infame genus 
Carm. ii; 14. 18. puellas Carm. iii. 
11.23. 

Danubius (Trojanus.) Dardanae 
genti Carm. i. 15. 10. Dardanas 
turres Carm. iv. 6. 7. 

Daunias militaris Carm. i. 22. 14. 
Daunius. Dauniae Camenae decus 
Carm. iv. 6. 27. Dauniae caedes 
Carm. ii. 1.34. 

Daunus aquae pauper Carm. iii. 
30. 11. Dauni Appub regna Carm. 
iv. 14. 26. 

Davus Epist. ad Pis. 114. 237. 
Serm. ii. 7. 2. sis comicus Serm. ii. 
5. 91. amicum mancipium domino 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Serm. ii. 7. 2. audit nequam et ces- 
sator Serm. ii. 7. 100. Davum ca- 
pit meretricula Serm. ii. 7. 46. Da- 
vo eludente Chremeta Serm. i. 10. 
40. 

Decius homo novus Serm. i. 6- 
20. 

Decor fugit retro Carm. ii. 11. 6. 

Deiphobus acer Carm. iv. 9. 22. 

Delius Apollo Carm. iii. 4. 64. 
Delia? deae tutela Carm. iv. 8. 33. 
Deliis foliis Carm. iv. 3. 6. 

Dellius (Q.) ad eumCarm. ii. 3. 

Delos. Delon, natalem Apollinis 
Carm. i. 21. 10. 

Delphi. Delphos Apolline insig- 
nes Carm. i. 7.3. Delphis sortilegis 
Epist. ad Pis. 219. 

Delphicus. Delphica lauro Carm. 
iii. 30. 15. 

jDemefTOw(modulator) Serm. i. 10. 
79. Demetri ib. 90. 

Demetrius (servus Philippi) Serm. 
i. 7. 52. 

Democritus rideret Epist. ii. 1. 
194. excludit sanos Helicone poetas 
Epist. ad Pis. 297. Democriti agel- 
los edit pecus Epist. i. 12. 12. 

Diana iracunda Epist. ad Pis. 
454. silvarum potens C. S. 1. pudi- 
cum Hippolytum infernis tenebris 
liberat Carm. iv. 7. 25. qua? Aventi- 
num tenet Algidumque C. S. 70. 
silentium regit, arcana cum fiurrt 
sacra Epod. 5. 51. Diana? ara Epist. 
ad Pis. 16. laudes C. S. 75. integrae 
tentator Orion Carm. iii. 4. 71. 
numina non movenda Epod. 17. 3. 
in earn Carm. i. 21. Carm. iii. 
12. 

Diespiter Carm. i. 34. 5. 

Digentia, gelidus rivus Epist. i. 18. 
104. 

Dindymene Carm. i. 16. 5. 

Diomedes cum Glauco pugnavit 
Serm. i. 7. 16. Diomedis reditus ab 
interitu Meleagri Epist. ad Pis. 146. 
Canusium a Diomode forti conditum 
Serm.' i. 5. 92. 

Dionceus. Dionaeo antro Carm. ii. 
1.39. 

Dionysius. Dionysi filius Serm. i. 
6. 38. 

Dircceus. Dircaeum cycnum Carm. 
iv. 2. 25. 

Dolichos Epist. i. 18. 19. 



Dorius. Dorium carmen Epod. 
9.6. 

Dossennus Epist. ii. 1. 173. 

Dmsus Genaunos vicitCarm. iv. 
14. 10. Drusum Rhaetis bella sub 
Alpibus gerentem Carm. iv. 4. 18. 



Echionius. Echioniae Thebae Carm. 
iv. 4. 64. 

Edoni Carm. ii. 7. 27. 

Egeria Serm. i. 2. 126. 

Eleclra Serm. ii. 3. 140. 

Eleus. Elea palma Carm. iv. 2. 
17. 

Empedocles Epist. i. 12. 20. arden- 
tem frigidus JEtnam insiluit Epist. 
ad Pis. 465. 

Enceladus, jaculator audax Carm. 
iii. 4. 56. 

Enipeus Carm. iii. 7. 23. 

Ennius (Q,.) pater nunquam, nisi 
potus, ad arma prosiluit dicenda 
Epist. l. 19. 7. et sapiens et fortis et 
alter Homerus Epist. ii. 1. 50. Enni 
versus Serm. i. 10. 54. lingua patri- 
um ditavit sermonem Epist. ad Pis. 
56. in scenam missus magno cum 
pondere versus ibid. 259. 

Eous. Eois partibus Carm. i. 35. 
31. fluctibus Epod. 2. 51. 

Ephesos Carm. i. 7. 2. 

Epicharmus. Epicharmi Siculi 
Epist. ii. 1. 58. 

Epicurus. Epicuri de grege Epist. 
i. 4. 16. 

Epidaurius serpens Serm. i. 3. 27. 

Erycinus. Erycina ridens Carm. 
i. 2. 33. 

Erymanthvs. Erymanthi nigrae 
silvae Carm. i. 21. 7. 

Esquilice. Esquilias atras Serm. 
ii. 6. 35. Esquiliis salubribus Serm. 
i. 8. 14. 

Esquilinus. Esquilini venefici 
pontifex Epod. 17. 58. Esquilinae 
alites Epod. 5. 100. 

Etruscus. Estrusca Porsenae ras- 
nus Epod. 16. 4. Etruscum mare 
Carm. iii. 29. 35. litus C. S. 38. cf. 
Carm. i. 11. 14. et Epod. 16. 40. 
Etruscos fines Serm. i. 6. 1. 

Eumenides. Eumenidum capillia 
intorti angues Carm. ii. 13. 36. 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



Eupolis Serm. i. 4. 1. eum secum 
portavit Horatius Serm. ii. 3. 12. 

Europa (Agenoris filia) tauro do- 
loso credidit niveum latus Carm. iii. 
27. 25. Europe vilis Carm. iii. 27. 
57. 

Europa (orbis terrarum pars). 
Europen ab Afro secernit liquor 
Carm. iii. 3. 47. 

Eurus minabitur fluctibus Hespe- 
riis Carm. i. 28. 25. equitavit per 
Siculas undas Carm. iv. 4. 43. niger 
Epod. 10. 5. aquosus Epod. 16. 56. 
Euro hiemis sodali Carm. i. 25. 20. 
Euroagente nimbosCarm, ii. 16. 23. 
ab Euro demissa tempestas Carm. 
iii. 17. 11. impulsa cupressusCarm. 
iv. 6. 10. 

Euterpe Carm. i. 1. 33. 

Eutrapelus (P. Volumnius) Epist. 
i. 18. 31. 

Evander. Evandri manibus tri- 
tum catillum Serm. i. 3. 91. 

Evicts exsomnis stupet Carm. iii. 
25. 9. 

Evius non levis monet Sithoniis 
Carm. i. 18. 9. dissipatcurasCarm. 
ii. 11. 17. 



F. 

Fabia (tribus) Epist. i. 6. 52. 

Fabius. Fabium loquacem Serm. 
i. 1. 14. Fabio vel judice vincam 
Serm. i. 2. 34. 

Fabricius (C.) Carm. i. 12. 40. 

Fabricius. aFabricioponte.Serm. 
ii. 3. 36. 

Falernus. Falernum (sc. vinum) 
Serm. ii. 18. 16. interiore nota 
Carm. ii. 3. 8. Fialerni severi par- 
tem Carm. i. 27. 10. ardentis pocula 
Carm. ii. 11. 19. nota Chio com- 
mista Serm. i. 10. 24. veteris Serm. 
ii. 3. 115. bibuli potores Epist. i. 18. 
91. Falerno diluta Hymettia mella 
Serm. ii. 2. 15. Falerna vitis Carm. 
iii. 1. 43 faece Serm. ii. 4. 55. Fa- 
lerno musto Serm. ii. 4. 19. Faler- 
nffi vites Carm. i. 20. 10. Falernis 
uvis Carm. ii. 6. 19. Falerni fundi 
miliejugera Epod. 4. 13. 

Fannius Quadratus beatus Serm. 
i. 4. 21. ineptus, Hermogenis Ti- 
gelli conviva Serm. i. 10. 80. 



Faunus velox Carm. i. 17. 28> 

Mercurialium custos virorum Carm. 
ii. 17. 28. Nympharum fugietitium 
amator Carm. iii. 18. 1. Fauno de- 
cet immolare lucis Carm. i. 4. 11. 
Fauni silvis deducti Epist. ad Pis. 
244. Faunis Epist i. 19. 4. ad Fau- 
num Carm. iii. 18. 

Fausta Serm. i. 2. 64. 

Faustitas alma Carm. iv. 5. 
IS. 

Favonius. Favoni grata vice 
Carm. i. 4. 1. Favonii candidi 
Carm. iii. 7. 2. 

Febres. Febrium nova cohors 
Carm.i. 111.30. 

Ferentinum Epist. i. 17. 8. 

Ferentum. Ferenti humilis pin- 
gue arvum Carm. iii. 4. 16. 

Feronia Serm. i. 5. 24. 

Fescenninus. Fescennina carmi- 
nar Epist. ii. 1. 145. 

Fidenoz Epist. i. 1 1. 8. 

Flaccus {Horatius) Epod. 15. 12. 

Flavius, Flavi ludum Serm. i. 6. 
72. 

Florus (Julius) ad eum Epist. i. 3. 
et Epist. ii. 2. 

Folia. Foliam Ariminensem Epod. 
5.42. 

Forentum. Forenti humilis pingue 
arvum Carm. iii. 4. 16. 

Formim. Formiarum mcenia 
Carm. iii. 17. 6. 

Formianus. Formiani collesCarm. 
i. 20. 11. 

Forum Appi differtum nautis, 
cauponibus atque malignis Serm. 
i. 5. 3. 

Fufidius Serm. i. 2. 12. 

Fufius ebrius Serm. ii. 3. 60. 

Fundanius ( C.) Fundani Serm. i. 

10. 42. Serm. ii. 8. 19. 
Fundi Serm. i. 5. 34. 

Furia. Furiam Serm. ii. 3. 141. 
Furiae dant alios torvo spectacula 
Marti Carm. i. 28. 17. Furiarum 
voces Serm. i. 8. 45. Furiis malis 
Serm. ii. 3. 135. 

Furialis. Furiale caput Carm. iiL 

11. 17. 

Furius vid. Bibaculus. 
Furnius Serm. i. 10. 86. 
Fuscus vid. Jfristius. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



663 



GabiL Gabios. Epist. i. 15. 9. pue- 
rum natum Epist. ii. 2. 3. cum iis 
ictum foedus a Tarquinio Superbo 
Epist. ii. 1. 25. 

Gades Carm. ii. 6.1. Epist. i. 1 1 . 
7. Gadibus remotis Carm. ii. 2. 
11. 

Gaztulus leo Carm. i. 23. 10. Ge- 
tulse leaenas catulos Carm. iii. 20. 2. 
Gastulo murice Epist. ii. 2. 181. Gae- 
tulas syrtes Carm. ii. 20. 15. 

Galazsics. Galaesi flumen dulce 
pellitis ovibus Carm. ii. 6. 10. 
Galatea, ad earn Carm. iii. 27 
Galba (Serv.) Serm. i. 2. 46. 
Galli. 1) Gallice incolm: Gallos 
fracta cuspide pereuntes Serm. ii. 1. 
14. 2) Gallo-Groid : Galli canen- 
tes Caesarem Epod. 9. 18. 3) Cybe- 
les sacerdotes : Gallis Serm. i. 2. 121. 
Gallia. Galliae non paventis fu- 
nera Carm. iv. 14. 49. 

Gallicus. Gallica ora Carm. i. 8. 
6. Gallicis pascuis Carm. iii. 16. 35. 
Gallina Threx Serm. ii. 6. 44. 
Gallonms. Galloni praeconis men- 
sa Serm. ii. 2. 47. 

Ganymedes. Ganymede flavo 
Carm. iv. 4. 4. 

Garganus. Gargani querceta 
Carm. ii. 9. 7. 

Garganus. Garganum nemus 
Epist. ii. 1. 202. 

Gargilius Epist. i. 6. 58. 
Geloui ultimi Carm. ii. 20. 19. 
Gelonos intra prasscriptum equi- 
tare exiguis campis Carm. ii. 9. 23. 
pharetratos Carm. iii. 4. 35. 

Genauni. Genaunos, implacidum 
genus Carm. iv. 14. 10. 

Genius, qui comes natale astrum 
temperat Epist. ii. 2. 187. diumo 
vino placari coepit Epist. ad Pis. 
210. Genium floribus et vino pia- 
bat Epist. ii. 1. 144. eras mero cu- 
rabis et porco bimestri Carm. iii. 
17. 14. per Genium te obsecro 
Serm. i. 7. 95. 

Germania horrida Carm. iv. 5. 
26.feraEpod. 16.7. 

Geryon. Geryonen ter amplum 
Carm. ii. 14. 8. 

Gelce Carm. iv. 15. 22. rigidi 
Carm. iii. 24. 11. 



Gigantes. Gigantum impia Co- 
nors Carm. ii. 19. 22. 

Glaucus Lycius Serm. i. 7. 17. 

Glycera. 1) Tibulli arnica: Gly- 
cera immitis Carm. i. 33. 2. 2.) 
Horatii arnica : Glycera? vocantig 
multo tore Carm. i. 30. 3. mere len- 
tus amor me torret Carm. iii. 19. 
28. de ea Carm. i. 19. 

Glycon. Glyconis invicti mem- 
bra Epist. i. 1. 30. 

Gnatia lymphis iratis exstructa 
Serm. i. 5. 97. 

Gnidius Gyges Carm. ii. 5. 20. _ 

Gnidos. Gnidi regina Carm. i. 
30. 1. Gnidon Carm. iii. 28. 13. 

Gnosius calamus Carm. i. 15. 17. 

Gor gonitis { C.) hircum olet Serm. 
i. 2. 27. Serm. i. 4. 92. 

Gracchus (Tib.) Epist. ii. 2. 89. 

Grcccia conjurata tuas rupere 
nuptias et regnum Priami vetus 
Carm. i. 15. 6. memor Castoris et 
magni Herculis Carm. iv. 5. 35. 
collisaBarbariae longo duello Epist. 
i. 2. 7. positis bellis nugari coepit 
Epist. ii. 1. 93. capta ib.^156., 

Graccus. Grajcovum antiquissima 
scripta sunt optima Epist. ii. 1. 28. 
magnas catervas Serm. i. 10. 35. 
Greeds intacti carminis auctor 
Serm. i. ]0. 66.— Graeca testa 
Carm. i. 20. 2. Greeco fonte Epist. 
ad Pis. 53. trocho Carm. iii. 24. 56. 
Graecis chartis acumina admovit 
Romanus Epist. ii. 1. 161. literulis 
Epist. ii. 2. 7. Graecos versiculos 
Serm.i. 10. 31. 

Grains. Graiorum fortium prae- 
mia Carm. iv. 8. 4. Graiis Epist. 
i. 19. 90. dedit Musa ingenium 
Epist. ad Pis. 223. — Graia manus 
victorum Epod. 10. 12. Graiae 
Camenae Carm. ii. 16. 38. fessis 
Carm. ii. 2. 12. 

Gratia cum Nymphis audet du- 
cere choros Carm. iv. 7. 5. nudis 
juncta sororibus Carm. iii. 19. 16. 
Gratiae solutis zonis Carm. i. 30. 6. 
Gratiae decentes Nymphis junctae 
Carm. i. 4. 6. segnes nodum sol- 
vere Carm. iii. 21. 22. 

Grosphus (Pompeius) Epist. 1. 12. 
22. .Pompei prime meorum soda- 
lium Carm. ii. 7. 5. ad eum Carm. 
ii. 16. 
59 



664 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



Gyges (unus ex Gigantibus) cen- 
timanus Carm. ii. 17. 14. testis 
mearum sententiarum Carm. iii. 4. 
69. Carm. ii. 17. 14. 

Gyges Gnidius Carm. ii. 5. 20. 
Gygen juvenem constantis fide 
Carm. iii. 7. 5. 



H 



Hadria Epist. i. 18. 63. Hadrian 
arbiter Notus Carm. i. 3. 15. cur- 
vantis Calabros sinus Carm. i. 33. 
15. ater sinus Carm. iii. 27. 19. 
rauci fluctibus fractis Carm. ii. 14. 
14. Hadria objecta Carm. ii. 11. 
2. improbo iracundior Carm. iii. 9. 
23. 

Hadnanus. Hadriano mari 
Carm. i. 16. 4. 

Hmdus. Hagdi orientis impetus 
Carm. iii. 1. 28. 

Hcemonia. Haemoniae nivales 
campi Carm. i. 37. 20. 

Hcemus. Haemo gelido Carm. i. 
12.6. 

Hagna. Hagnae polypus Serm. 
i. 3. 40. 

Hannibal perfidus Carm. iv. 4. 
49. parentibus abominatus Epod. 
16.8. Hannibalis rejectae retror- 
sum minas Carm. iv. 8. 16. Han- 
nibalem durum Carm. ii. 12. 2. di- 
rum Carm. iii. 6. 36. 

Harpyia. Harpyis rapacibus 
Serm. ii. 2. 40. 

Hasdrubal a C. Claudio Nerone 
devictus Carm. iv. 4. 38. Hasdru- 
bale interemto ibid. 72. 

Hebrus (Thraciae fluvius) Epist. 
l. 16. 13. vinctus nivali compede 
Epist. i. 3. 3. Hebrum Carm. iii. 
25. 10. 

Hebrus (adolescens formosus) 
Hebri Liparei nitor Carm. iii. 12. 5. 

Hecate. Hecaten Serm. i. 8. 33. 

Hector ademtus Carm. ii. 4. 10. 
ferox Carm. iv. 9. 22. Hectorem 
homicidam Epod. 17. 12. Hectora 
Priamiden Serm. i. 7. 12. 

Hectoreus. Hectoreis opibus 
Carm. iii. 3. 26. 

Helena Lacaena adultera Carm. 
iv. 9. 16. Helenae .fratres luci- 
da sidera Carm. i. 3. 2. infamis 
vice Epod. 17. 42. Helenen hospi- 



tam Carm. i. 15. 2. ante Helenam 
Serm. i. 3. 107. 

Helicon. Heliconis umbrosae orae 
Carm. i. 12. 5. Helicona virentera 
Epist. ii. 1. 218. Helicone Epist. ad 
Pis. 296. 

Heliodorus rhetor Graecorum lin- 
guae doctissimus Serm. i. 5. 2. 

Hellas (puella) Serm. ii. 3. 277. 

Hemdes vagus Carm. iii. 2. 9. 
impiger Carm. iv. 8. 30. delibutus 
atro Nessi cruore Epod. 17. 31. 
Herculis ritu Carm. iii. 14. 1. effica- 
cis Epod. 3. 17. armis ad postem 
fixis Epist. i. 1. 5. Herculem vinci 
dolentem Carm. iv. 4. 62. Hercule 
amico dives Serm. ii. 6. 13. 

Hercuhus labor Carm. i. 3. 36. 
Herculea manu Carm. ii. 12. 6. 

Herrnogenes Tigellius (JVf.) moro- 
sus Serm. i. 3. 3. cantor atque opti- 
mus modulator Serm. i. .3. 129. 
Hermogenis Tigelli morte Serm. i. 
2. 3. Hermogenis Tigelli conviva 
Fannius ibid. SO. manus ibid. 90. 

Herodes. Herodis palmeta pin- 
guia Epist. ii. 2. 184. 

Hesperia. 1) Italia : Hesperiae 
luctuosae Di multa mala dederunt 
Carm. iii. 6. 8. ferias praestes Carm. 
iv. 5. 38. 2) Hispania: Hesperia ab 
ultima Carm. i. 36. 4. 

Hesperius. 1) de Italia : Hesperiae 
ruinas sonitum Carm. ii. 1. 32. 
Hesperiis fluctibus Carm. i. 28.26. 
2) de Hispania : Hesperiae undae 
tyrannus Carm. ii. 17. 20. Hes- 
perio a cubili Solis Carm.iv. 15. 16. 

Hippolyta Carm. iii. 7. 18. 

Hippolytus. Hippolytum pudi- 
cum Carm. iv. 7. S6. 

Hirpinus (Quinctius!) ad eum 
Carm. ii. 11. et Epist. i. 16. 

Hispanus. Hispanae navis ma- 
gister Carm. iii. 6. 31. orae vetus 
hostis Carm. iii. 8. 21. Hispana 
ab ora repetit Caesar Penates Carm. 
iii. 14. 3. 

Homerus Maeonius Carm. iv. 9. 
6. vinosus Epist. i. 19. 6. alter Epist. 
ii. 1. 50. monstravit, res gestae re- 
gum et tristia bella quod scribi 
possent numero Epist. ad Pis. 74. 
bonus dormitat ibid. 359. insignia 
ib. 401. Homero magno Serm. i. 
10. 52. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



665 



Hora, qua rapit almum diem 
Carm. iv. 7. 8. 

Horatius Epist. i. 14. 5. Horati 
vatis modorum Carm. iv. 6. 44. 

Hyades tristes Carm. i. 3. 14. 

Hydaspes (Indiae fluvius) fabu- 
losus Carm. i. 22. 8. 

Hydaspes (servus Indus) fuscus 
Serm. ii. 8. 14. 

Hydra, non Hydra secto corpore 
firmior vinci dolentem crevit in 
Herculem Carm. iv. 4. 61. Hy- 
dram diram Epist. ii. 1. 10. 

Hylazus nimius mero Carm. ii. 
12.6. 

Hymettius. Hymettiae trabes 
Carm. ii. 18. 3. Hymettia mella 
Serm. ii. 2. 15. 

Hymettus Carm. ii. 6. 14. 

Hyperboreus. Hyperboreoscam- 
pos Carm. ii. 20. 16. 

Hypsoza Serm. i. 2. 91. 

I 

Janus pater Epist. i. 16. 59. ma- 
tutine pater Serm. ii. 6. 20. — de 
templo Jani : Janum Epist. i. 20. 1. 
CLuirini vacuum duellis clausit 
Carm. iv. 15. 9. pacis custodem 
Epist. ii. 2. 255. — de vico Jani Ro- 
mce : ad Janum medium res mea 
fracta est Serm. ii. 3. 18. Janus 
summus ab imo Epist. i. 1. 54. 

Iapetus. Iapeti genus Carm. i. 
3.27. 

Iapyx albus Carm. iii. 27. 20. 
lapygaCarm. i. 3. 4. 

Iarbyta Cordus. Iarbitam rupit 
Timagenis semula lingua Epist. i. 
19.15. 

Jason Epod. 3. 12. 

Iber peritus me discet Carm. ii. 

20. 20.— Iberis loricis Carm. i. 29. 
15. 

Iberia ferax venenorum Epod. 5. 

21. Iberiae ferae bellum Carm. iv. 
5. 2S. dura tellus Carm. iv. 14. 50. 

Ibericus. Ibericis funibus Epod. 
4.3. 

Iberus. Iberi pisces Serm. ii. 8. 
46. 

Ibycus. Ibyci pauperis uxor 
Carm. iii. 15. 1. 

Icarius. Icariis fluctibus Carm. 
i. 1. 15. 

Icarus. Icari scopulis surdior 



Carm. iii. 7. 21. Icaro Daedaleo 
ocior Carm. ii. 20. 13. 

Iccius. ad eum Carm. i. 29. et 
Epist. i. 12. 

Ida aquosa Carm. iii. 20. 16. 

Idceus. Idaeis navibus Carm. i. 
15.2. 

Idomeneus ingens Carm. iv. 9. 
20. 

Her da Epist. i. 20. 13. 

Ilia Serm. i. 2. 126. Romana 
Carm. iii. 9. 8. Iliae Mavortisque 
puer Carm. iv. 8. 22. se nimium 
querenti Carm. i. 2. 17. 

Iliacus. Iliacum carmen Epist. 
ad Pis. 129. Iliacos muros Epist. 
i. 2. 16. Iliacas domos Carm. i. 15. 
36. 

Eton non semel vexataCarm. iv. 
9. IS. Ilio Carm. i. 15. 33. Ilion 
fatalis incestusque judex et mulier 
peregrina vertitCarm. iii. 3. 18.38. 
obsessam Epod. 14. 14. Ilio sub 
sacro belk Carm. iii. 19. 4. crema- 
te Carm. iv. 4. 53. usto Epod. 10. 
13. 

Iliona. Ilionam edormit Serm. 
ii. 3. 61. 

Ilithyia lenis maturos partus 
aperire C. S. 14. 

Ilius. Iliae matres Epod. 17. 11. 
turma? C. S. 37. 

Hlyricus. Illyricis undis Carm. 
i. 2S. 2'2. 

Inachia furere Epod. 11. 6. Ina- 
chiam ter nocte potes Epod. 12. 
15. Inachia minus languis ac me 
ib. 14. 

Inachus. ab Inacho prisco natus 
Carm. ii. 3. 21. quantum distet Co- 
drus Carm. iii. 19. 2. 

India. Indiae divitis Carm. iii. 
24.2. 

Indicus. lndicum ebur Carm. i. 
31.6. 

Indus Carm. iv. 14. 42. Indi su- 
perbi C. S. 56. Indos Carm. i. 12. 
56. Epist. i. 6. 6. 

Ino flebilis Epist. ad Pis. 123. 

Io vaga Epist. ii. 3. 124. 

Jocus Carm. i. 2. 34. 

Iolcos Epod. 5.21. 

Ionicus attagen Epod. 11. 54. 
Ionicos motus Carm. iii. 6. 21. 

Ionius sinus Epod. 10. 19. 

Ister Carm. iv. 14. 46. 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



Isthmius labor Carm. iv. 3. 3 . 

Italia Carm. i. 37. 16. Italiae 
tutela prcesens Carm. iv. 14. 43. 
ruinis Carm. iii. 5.40. fruges pleno 
diffundit Copia cornu Epist. i. 12. 
29. 

Italus. Italo ccelo Carm. ii. 7. 4 
Italum robur Carm. ii. 13. 19. Ita- 
la tellure Serm. ii. 6. 56. Italae 
vires Carm. iv. 15. 13. Italos mo- 
dos Carm. iii. 30. 13. Italas urbes 
Carm. iv.'4. 42. res Epist. ii. 1. 2. 

Ithaca non aptus locus equis 
Epist. i. 7. 41. lthacam Serm. ii. 
5.4. 

Itkacensis Ulyssei Epist. i. 6. 63. 

Ittjs. Ityn Carm. iv. 12. 5. 

Juba. JubaetellusCarm.i. 22. 15. 

Judasus. Apella Serm. i. 5. 100. 
Judaei Serm. i. 4. 143. Judaeis Cur- 
tis Serm. i. 9. 70. 

Jugurtha Carm. ii. 1. 28. 

Jugurthinus. Jugurthino bello 
Epod. 9. 23. 

Julius. Julium sidus Carm. i. 12. 
47. Julia edicta Carm. iv. 15.22. 

Juno Afris arnica Carm. ii. 1. 25. 
matrona Carm. iii. 4. 59. Junonis 
in honorem Carm. i. 7. 8. sacra 
Serm. i. 3. 11. Junone elocuta 
gratum Carm. iii. 3. 17. 

Jupiter Carm. i. 2. 30. litora pise 
secrevit genti Epod. 16.63. seuplu- 
res hiemes seu ultimam tribuit 
Carm. i. 11. 4. mens tremendo tu- 
multu Carm. i. 16. 12. ver ubi Ion- 
gum proebet Carm. ii. 16. 18. infor- 
mes reducit hiemes idem submovet 
Carm. ii. 10. 16. pure- numine gla- 
ciet nives Carm. iii. 10. 8. iratus 
Serm. i. 1. 20. benigno numine de- 
fendit manus Claudiae Carm. iv. 4. 
74. Jovis magni Carm. i. 10. 5. 
arcanisCarm. i. 28. 9. supremi da- 
pibus Carm. i. 32. 14. tutela Carm. 
ii. 17. 22. imperium in ipsos reges 
est Carm. iii. 1. 6. fulminantis mag- 
na manu Carm. iii. 3. 6. consilio 
Carm. iii. 25. 6. invicti uxor Carm. 
iii. 27. 73. epulis Carm. iv. 8. 29. 
tonantis Epod. 2. 29. leges Epod. 
17. 69. auras C. S. 32. solium 
Epist. i. 17. 34. Jovi supremo Carm. 
i. 21. 4. nostra Carm. iv. 15. 6. ob- 
ligatam redde dapem Carm. ii. 7. 
17. intulerat terrorem juventus 



horrida brachiis Carm. iii. 4. 49. sic 
gratum Epod. 9. 3. Jovem C.S. 73. 
non patimur per nostrum scelus 
ponere fulmina Carm. 1. 3. 40. per 
improbaturum haec Epod. 5. 8. ad- 
versum preces Epod. 10. 18. orare 
satis est Epist. i. 18. 111. Ju- 
piter maxime Serm. i. 2. 18. O pa- 
ter et rex Serm. ii. 1. 42. ingentes 
qui das adimisque dolores Serm. ii. 
3. 288. non probanteCarm. i.2. 19. 
aequo Carm. 28. 29. Epist. ii. 1. 68. 
incolumi Carm. iii. 5. 12. uno sa- 
piens minor est Epist. i. 1. 106. — 
Jupiter malus urget mundi latus 
Carm. i. 22. 20. Jovem imbres ni- 
vesque deducunt Epod. 13. 2. sub 
Jove frigido Carm. i. 1. 25. — Jupi- 
ter de Jiugusto Epist, i. 19. 43. 

Justitia potens Carm. ii. 17. 15. 
soror fidei Carm. i. 24. 6. 

Ixion perfidus Epist. ad Pis. 124. 
vultu risit invito Carm. iii. 11.21. 



Labeo. Labeone insanior Serm. i. 
3.82. 

Laberius. Laberi mimi Serm. i. 
10.6. 

Lacmnus. LacoenaHeleneCarm. 
iv. 9. 16. Lacaenae (sc. mulieris) 
more comam religata Carm. ii. 11. 
24. adulter© (Helena) famosus 
hospesCarm. iii. 3. 25. 

Laced&mon patiens Carm. i. 7. 9. 

Lacedcemonius. Lacedaemonium 
Tarentum Carm. iii. 5. 56. 

Lacon fulvus Epod. 6. 5. Laconi 
Phalanto Carm. ii. 6. 11. 

Laconicus. Laconicas purpuras 
Carm. ii. 6. 11. 

Lodius (C.) Serm. ii. 1. 65. Laeli 
mitis sapientia ib. 72. 

Laertides. Laertiden Carm. i. 
15. 21. O Laertide Serm. ii. 5. 5B. 

Lcestrigonius. Laestrigonia am- 
phora Carm. iii. 16. 34. 

Lcevinus {P. Valerius.) Lasvino 
mallet honorem, quam Decio man- 
dare populus Serm. i. 6. 19. Laevi- 
num Valeri genus ibid. 12. 

Lalage proterva fronte petet ma- 
ritum Carm. ii. 5. 16. Lalagen 
meam canto Carm. i. 22. 10. dulce 
ridentem et dulce loquentem ib. 23. 



PROPER NAMES. 



667 



Lamia (Q. JElius.) Lamias pietas 
et cura Epist. i. 14 6. Lamiae 
dulci Carm. i. 36. 7. ad eum Carm. 
L 26. Carm. iii. 27. 

Lamia (monstrum.) Lamias pran- 
sae vivum puerum extrahat alvo 
Epist ad Pis. 340. 

Lamus. Lamo vetusto Carm. iii. 
17. L 

Lanuvinus. Lanuvino ab agro 
Carm. iii. 27. 3. 

Laomedon Carm. iii. 3. 22. 

Lapithce. Lapithas saevos Carm. 
ii. 12. 5. cum Lapithis Centaurea 
rixa Carm. i. IB. 8. 

Lar. ante Larem proprium ves- 
cor Serm. ii. 6. 66. Laribus Carm. 
iv. 5. 34. ex voto catenam donasset 
Serm. i. 5. 66. aequis immolet por- 
cum Serm. ii. 3. 165. Lares patrios 
Epod. 16. 19. renidentes Epod. 2. 
€6. si ture placaris et horn a fruge 
avidaque porca Carm. iii. 23. 4. 
mutare C. S. 39. 

Larissa. Larissae opimse campus 
Carm. i. 7. 11. 

Latinus. Latini patris Serm. i. 
10. 27. sanguinis Epod. 7. 4. Lati- 
nae legis Carm. iv. 14. 7- Latinum 
nomen Carm. iv. 15. 13. carmen 
Carm. i. 32. 3. Latinis fidibus 
Epist. i. 3. 12. Epist. ii. 2. 143. ver- 
bis Serm. i. 10. 20. — Latinae (sc. 
fence) Epist. i. 7. 76. 

Latium Epist. ad Pis. 290. ferox 
Carm. i. 35. 10. felix C. S. 66. bea- 
bit divite lingua Epist. ii. 2. 157. 
Latio primus ostendi Parios iambos 
Epist. i. 19. 24. agresti artes intulit 
Graecia Epist. ii. 1. 157. imminentes 
Parthos Carm. i. 12. 53. fugatis te- 
nebris Carm. iv. 4. 40. 

Latona. Latonae puerum Carm. 
iv. 6. 37. Latonam Jovi dilectam 
Carm. i. 21. 3. curva lyra recines 
Carm. iii. 28. 12. 

Laurens aper Serm. ii. 4. 42. 

Laverna pulchra Epist. i. 16. 60. 

Lebedus Epist. i. 11. 7. 

LedaJ_,ed?e pueros Carm. i. 12. 25. 

Lenceus Carm. iii. 25. 19. 

Leo. Leonis vesani stella Carm. 
iii. 29. 19. momenta Epist i. 10. 16. 

Lepidus (Q,. JEmilius) Epist. i. 
20. 23. 

Lepos Serm. ii. 6. 72. 



Lesbia Epod. 12. 17. 

Lesbius. Lesbii (sc. vini) inno- 
centis pocula Carm. i. 18. 21. cf. 
Epod. 9. 34. Lesbium pedem Carm. 
iv. 6. 35. Lesbio plectro Carm. i. 
26. 11. 

Lesbos nota Epist. i. 11. 1. 

Lesbous. Lesboo civi Carm. i. 32. 
5. Lesboum barbiton Carm.i. 1. 34 

Lethceus. Lethaeos somnos Epod. 
14. 3. Lethaea vincula Carm.iv. 7. 
27. 

Leucona. ad earn Carm. i. 11. 

Liber Carm. i. 16. 7. audax prae- 
liisCarm. i. 12. 21. metuendus thyr- 
so Carm. ii. 19. 7. ornatus viridi 
tempora pampino vota bonos ducit 
ad exitus Carm. iv. 8. 34. pater 
Epist. ii. 1. 5, Liberi jocosi munera 
Carm. iv. 15. 26. modici munera 
Carm. i. 18. 7. Libero voveram 
dulces epulas Carm. ii. 8. 7. Li- 
berum Carm. i. 32. 9. pressum 
Calibus Carm. iv. 12. 14 Liber 
Carm. iii. 21. 21. 

Libitina Epist. ii. 1. 49. Libitina? 
acerbas quaestus autumnus Serm. ii. 
6. 19. Libitinam multa pars mei 
vitabit Carm. iii. 30. 7. 

Libo. Libonis puteal Epist. i. 19. 

Libra Carm. ii. 17. 17. 

Libumi. Liburnis (sc. navibus) 
Epod. 1. 1. sasvis Carm. i. 37. 30. 

Libya. Libyam Carm. ii. 2. 10. 
Libya in media Serm. ii. 3. 101. 

Libycus. Libycis areis Carm. i. 
1. 10. lapillis Epist. i. 10. 19. 

Licentia lasciva Carm. i. 19. 3. 
Licentiaa evaganti Carm. iv. 15. 10. 

Licinius. ad eum Carm. ii. 10. 

Licinus. Licino tonsori Epist. ad 
Pis. 301. 

Licymnia. Licvmniae crineCarm. 
ii. 12. 23. dominaB ib. 13. 

Ligurinus Carm.iv. 1. 33. ad eum 
Carm. iv. 10. 

Lipareus. Liparei Hebri nitor 
Carm. iii. 12. 5. 

Liris quieta aqua Carm i. 31. 7, 
Lirim innatantem Maricae litoribua 
Carm. iii. 17. 8. 

Livius Andronicus. Livi scriptoria 
sevum Epist. ii. 1 . 62. carmina ib.. 69. 

Lollius Palicanus (M.) Epist. L 
20. 28. ad eum Carm, iv, 9. 



€63 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Lollius (Maximus.) ad eum Epist 
i. 2. et 18. 

Longarenus Serm. i. 2. 67. 

Lucania violenta Serm. ii. 1. 38. 

Lucanas aper Serm. ii. 8. 6. Lu- 
cana pascua Epod. 1. 28. in nive 
Serm. ii. 3. 234. Lucanae amicae 
Epist. i. 15. 21. Lucani Calabris 
saltibus adjecti Epist. ii. 2. 178. 

Luceria. Luceriam nobilemCarm 
iii. 15. 14. 

Lucilius Serm. i. 10. 64. quae 
olim scripsit Serm. i. 4. 57. hinc 
omnis pendet Serm. i. 4. 6. sapiens 
Serm. ii. 1. 17. estausus primus in 
hunc morem componerecarminaib. 
62. Lucili fautor Serm. i. 10. 2. 
scripta ib. 56. ritu Serm. ii. 1. 29. 
censum ingemumque ibid. 75. 

Lucina C. S. 15. vocata partubus 
adfuit Epod. 5. 6. 

Lucretilis. Lucretilem amoenum 
seepe mutat Lycaeo Faunus Carm. 
i. 17. 1. 

Lucrinus. Lucrina conchylia 
Epod. 2. 49. peloris Serm. ii. 4. 32. 
Lucrino lacu Carm. ii. 14. 3. 

Lucullus (L.) Serm. i. 6. 40. Lu- 
culli miles Epist. ii. 2. 26. 

Lupus (P. Rutiliits.) Lupo fa- 
mosis versibus cooperto Serm. ii. 
1.68. 

Lyaus. Lyaeo uda tempora Carm. 
l. 7. 22. jocoso Carm. iii. 21. 16. 
dulci Epod. 9. 38. 

Lycaus. Lycaeo mutat Faunus 
Lucretilem Carm. i. 17. 2. 

Lycambes. Lycamba; infido Epod. 
6. 13. Lycamben Epist. i. 19. 
25. 

Lyce. ad earn Carm. iii. 10. et iv. 
13. 

Lycia. Lyciae dumeta Carm. iii. 
4.62. 

Lycidas. Lycidam tenerum Carm. 
i. 4. 19. 

Lyciscus. Lycisci amor me tenet 
Epod. 11. 24. 

Lycius. Lycias catervas Carm. i. 
8. 16. 

Lycoris. Lycorida insignem tenui 
fronte Cyri torret amor Carm. i. 33. 
5. 

Lycurgus. Lycurgi Thracis exi- 
tium Carm. ii. 19. 16. 

Lycus (j>uer.) Lycum nigris ocu- 



lis nigroque crine decorum Carm. i. 
32.11. 
Lycus (senex) invidus Carm. iii. 

19. 23. Lyco ib. 24. 

Lyde. Lyden devium scortum 
Carm. ii. 11. 22. ad earn Carm iii 
11. et. iii. 28. 

Lydia non eratpostChloen Carm. 
iii. 9. 6. Lydiae rejectae janua ibid. 

20. ad earn Carm. . 8. 13. et 25. 
Lydus. Lydorum quicquid Etruscos 

fines incoluit Serm. i. 6. 1. — Lydis 
tibiisCarm. iv. 15. 30. 

Lynceus oculorum acie excelluit 
Epist. i. 1. 28. Serm. i. 2. 96. 

Lysippus Epist. ii. 1. 240. 

M 

Macedo (Philippm) diffindit por- 
tas urbium Carm. iii. 16. 14. 

Mcecenas (C. Cilnius) Carm. iv. 
1 1. 20. Serm. i. 3. 64. Serm. i. 9. 43. 
Serm. ii. 3. 312. Serm. ii. 7: 33. Serm. 
ii. 6. 31. fecit iter Brundisium ad 
controversias Augusti et Antonii 
componendas Serm. i. 5. 27. 31. lu- 
sum it ibid. 48. ei Horatius scripta 
sua probari vult Serm. i. 10. 81. 
Augusti sigillum tenebat Serm. ii. 
6. 38. convivio a Nasidieno excipi- 
tur Serm. iii. 8. 16. 22. ad eum 
Carm. i. 1. i. 20. ii. 12. ii. 17. ii. 20. 
Carm. iii. 8. iii. 16. iii. 29. Epod. 1. 
3. 9. 14. Serm. i. 1. Serm. i. 6. Epist. 
i. 1. Epist. i. 7. Epist. L 19. 

Manius (parasitus^ et nepos) 
Epist. i. 15. 26. inquit Serm. i. 3. 23. 
Serm.i. 1. 101. absentem Novium 
dum carperet Serm. i. 3. 21. 

Mcconius Homerus Carm. iv. 9. 
5. Maconii carminis Carm. i. 6. 2. 

Mcetius vid Tarpa. 

Mcevius. in eum Epod. 10. 

Magnessus. Magnessam Hippo- 
lyten Carm. iii. 7. 18. 

Maia. Maias almas filius Carm. i. 
2. 43. Maia nate Serm. ii. 6. 5. 

Malthinus tunicis demisses am- 
bulat Serm. i. 2. 25. 

Mamvrrarum urbs Serm. i. 5. 37. 

Mandela Epist. i. 18. 105. 

Manes fabulae Carm. i. 4. 16. ul 
elicerent Serm. i. 8. 29. placantur 
carmine Epist. ii. 1. 138. 

ManUus vid. Torquatus. 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



Marcellus (M. Claudius.) Mar- 
celli fama Carm. i. 12. 46. 

JtfareoHcws.MareoticovinoCarm. 
i. 37. 14. 

Marica Maricae litoribus Carm. 
iii. 17. 7. 

Marius Serm. ii. 3. 277. 

Mars, Martis equi Caim. iii. 3. 
16. Marti Carm. iii. 3. 33. torvo 
Carm. i. 28. 17. Martem tunica 
adamantina tectum Carm. i. 6. 13. 
Marte Carm. iv. 14. 9. Carm. i. 17. 
23. altera Poenus proteret Carm. iii. 

5. 34. cruento carebimus Carm. ii. 
14. 13. nostra arvapopulataCarm. 
iii. 5. 24. 

Marsceus, amator Originis Serm. 
i. 2. 55. 

Marsus Carm. iii. 5. 9. aper Carm. 
i. 1. 23. Marsi peditis vultus in 
omentum hostem Carm. i. 2. 39. 
duelli cadum memorem Carm. iii. 
14. 18. finitimi Epod. 16. 3. Marsse 
cohortis Carm. ii. 20. 18. Marsa 
ruenia Epod. 17. 29. Marsis voci- 
bus Epod. 5. 76. 

Marsyas Serm. i. 6. 120. 

Martiaiis. Martiales lupos Carm. 
i. 17. 9. 

Martins. Martii campi gramina 
Carm. iv. 1. 39. Martio gramine 
Carm. iii. 7. 26. in certamine Carm. 
iv. 14. 17. Martia bella Epist. ad 
Pis. 402. Martiis calendis Carm. 
iii. 8. 1. 

Massagetce Carm. i. 35. 40. 

Massicus. Massici (sc. vini) ve- 
teris pocula Carm. i. 1. 19. Massi- 
cum lectum Carm. iii. 21. 5. Mas- 
eico oblivioso Carm. ii. 7. 21. Mas- 
sica vina Serm. ii. 4. 51. 

Matinus. Matinre apis Carm. iv. 
2. 27. Matinum litus Carm. i. 28. 3. 
Matina cacumina Epod. 16. 28. 

Maurus. Maura unda Carm. ii. 

6. 3. Mauris jaculis Carm. i. 22. 2. 
anguibus Carm. iii. 10. 18. 

JkTedeaEpod.3. 10. sit ferox Epist. 
ad Pis. 123. ne pueros coram po- 
pulo trucidet ib. 185. Medeae bar- 
baras venena Epod. 5. 62. 

Medus miratur Augustum Carm. 
iv. 14. 42. Albanas secures timet 
C S. 54. infestus sibi luctuosis dis- 
sidet armis Carm. iii. 8. 19. Medi 
pharetra decori Carm. ii. 16. 6. 



Medum flumen Carm. ii. 9. 21. 
Medo horribili Carm. i. 29. 4. sub 
rege Carm. iii. 5. 9. Medis trium- 
phatis Carm. iii. 3. 43. auditum 
Hesperias ruinae sonitum ? Carm. 
ii. 1. 31. Medos inultos equitare 
non sinas Carm. i. 2. 51. — Medus 
acinaces Carm. i. 27. 5. 

Megilla. Megillae Opuntiee frater 
Carm. i. 27. 11. 

Meleager. Meleagri interitus 
Epist. ad Pis. 146. 

Melpomene Carm. i. 24. 3. Carm. 
iii. 30. 16. ad earn Carm. iv. 3. 

Memnon Serm. i. 10. 36. 

Memphis. Memphin carentem Si- 
thonia nive Carm. iii. 26. 10. 

Menander. Horatius eum lecti- 
tabat Serm. ii. 3. 11. Menandro 
Afrani toga convenisse dicitur E- 
pist. ii. 1. 57. 

Menas Epist. i. 7. 55. et 61. 

Menenius. Meneni in fcecunda 
gente Serm. ii. 3. 287. 

Mercurialis. Mercuriale cogno- 
men Serm. ii. 3. 25. Mercurialium 
virorum custos Carm. ii. 17. 28. 

Mercurius Carm. i. 30. 8. Serm. 
ii. 3. 68. compellit horrida virga ad 
nigrum gregem manes Carm. i. 
24. 18. celer Carm. ii. 7. 13. Mer- 
curi Carm. iii. 11. 11. ad eum 
Carm. i. 10. 

Meriones Carm. i. 15. 26. nigrum 
pulvere Troio Carm. i. 6. 15. 

Messala (M. Valer. Corv.) Serm. 
i. 10. 29. Serm. i. 6. 42. ejus judicio 
scripta sua Horatius probari vult 
Serm. i. 10. 85. Corvino jubente 
promere languidiora vina Carm. iii. 
21. 7. Serm. i. 10. 85. Messalaj 
diserti virtus Epist. ad Pis. 371. 

Messius Cicirrus Serm. i. 5. 52. 

Metaurus. Metaurum flumen 
Carm. iv. 4. 38. 

Metella Serm. ii. 3. 239. 

Metellus (Q. Ccecilius.) Macedo- 
nicus: a Lucilio in satyris laesus 
Serm. ii. 1. 67. 

Metellus (Q. Ccecilius.) Metello 
consule Carm. ii. 1. 1. 

Methymnceus. Methymnaeam 
uvam Serm. ii. 8. 50. 

Miletus Epist. i. 17. 30. 

Milonius sal tat Serm. ii. 1. 24. 

Mimas validus Carm. iii. 4. 53. 



670 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



Mimnermus Epist. i. 6. 64. Epist. 
ii. 2. 101. 

Minerva invita nihil dices facies- 
ve Epist. ad Pis. 385. crassa Serm. 
ii. 2. 3. Minerva? operosas studium 
Carni. iii. 12. 4. sacra Carm. iv. 6. 
13. casta Carm. iii. 3. 23. 

Minos, Jovis arcanis admissus 
Carm. i. 28. 9. cum splendidafece- 
rit arbitria Carm. iv. 7. 21. 

Minturnoz palustres Epist. 1. 5.5. 

Minueius. Minuci via Epist. i. 
18. 20. 

Misenum. ad ejus oras echini op- 
timi capiebantur Serni. ii. 4. 33. 

Mitylene pulchra Epist. i. 11. 17. 
Mitylenen alii laudabunt Epist. i. 
7.1. 

Molosms Epod. 6. 5. Molossis 
canibus Serm. ii. 6. 114. 

Monaeses Carm. iii. 5. 9. 

Mors pallida Carm. i. 4. 13. atra 
Carm. i. 28. 13. atris alis circumvo- 
lans Serm. ii. 1. 58. gelida Carm. 
ii. 8. 11. indomita Carm. ii. 14. 4. 
cita Serm. i. 1. 8. et fugacem perse- 
quitur virum Carm. iii. 2. 14. Mor- 
tis laquei Carm. iii. 24. 8. 

Moschus. Moschi causa Epist. i. 
5.9. 

Mucins Scazvola (P.) Epist. ii. 2. 
89. 

Mulvius Serm. ii. 7. 36. 

Munatius Plancus vid. Plancus. 

Munatius (homo quidamignotus) 
Epist. i. 3. 31. 

Murena. MurenaeaugurisCarm. 
in. 19. 11. 

Musa Epist. ii. 1. 133. Epist. ad 
Pis. 141. Serm. i. 5. 53. Carm. iii. 
3. 70. Epist. i. 8. 2. ccelo beat Carm. 
iv. 8. 29. Graiis ingenium dedit 
Epist. ad Pis. 328. dulcis Carm. ii. 
12. 13. fidibus Divos dedit Epist. 
ad Pis. 83. imbellis lyrae potens 
Carm. i. 6. 10. lyrae solers Epist. ad 
Pis. 407. mea Dis cordi est Carm. 
i. 17. 14. procax Carm. ii. 1. 37. se- 
veraetragoediae desit theatrisCarm. 
ii. 1. 9. vetat virum laude dignum 
mori Carm. iv. 9. 28. MusaeSerm. 
ii. 3. 105. Musam Archilochi Epist. 
i. 19. 28. tacentem suscitat cithara 
Carm. ii. 10. 19. Musa auspice 
Epist. i. 3. 13. pedestri Serm. ii. 6. 
17. Musarum sacerdos Carm. iii. 



I. 3. dona Epist. ii. 1. 243. Musas 
canebat Carm. i. 32. 9. imparea 
Carm. iii. 19. 13. locutas in monte 
Albano Epist. ii. 1. 27. Musis ami- 
cus Carm. i. 26. 1. dicenda praelia 
Carm. iv. 9. 21. novem caelatum 
opus Epist. ii. 2. 92. 

Mutus Epist. i. 6. 22. 

Mycenoz dites Carm. i. 7. 9. 

Mygdonius. Mygdoniis campis 
Carm. iii. 16. 41. Mygdonias opes 
Carm. ii. 12. 22. 

Myrtale libertina Carm. i. 33. 14. 

Myrlms. Myrtoum mare Carm. 
i. 1. 14. 

Mysi. Mysorum agmina Epod. 
17. 10. 

Mystes Carm. ii. 9. 10. 

N 

Nasvius (Cn.) Epist. ii. 1. 53. 

Nccvius simplex Serm. ii. 2. 68. 

Naiades. O Naiad urn potens 
Carm. iii. 25. 14. 

Nasica captator Serm. ii. 5. 57. 
Nasicae filia ib. 65. 

Nasidienus Rufus. Nasidieni be- 
ati cocna Serm. ii. 8. 1. 85. 

Natta immundus fraudatis lucer- 
nis Serm. i. 6. 124. 

Neaera. Neaerae argutaeCarm. 
iii. 14. 21. ad earn Epod. 15. 

Neapolis otiosa Epod. 5. 43. 

Nearclnts. Nearchum insignem 
Carm. iii. 20. 6. 

Necessitas saeva Carm. i. 35. 17. 
dira Carm. iii. 24. 5. aequalegesor- 
titur insignes et imos Carm. iii. 1. 14. 

Neobide. ad earn Carm. iii. 12. 

Neptunius dux Epod. 9. 7. 

Neptunus hibernus Epod. 17. 55. 
terra receptus Epist. ad Pis. 64. 
Neptuni festo die Carm. iii. 28. 2. 
Neptunum Carm. iii. 28. 9. furen- 
tem procul e terra spectare Epist. i. 

II. 10. Neptuno Epod. 7. 3. sacri 
Tarenti custode Carm. i. 28. 29. 

Nereides. Nereidum Epod. 17. 8. 
virides comas Carm. iii. 28. 10. 

Nereus Carm. i. 15. 5. 

Nereus Serm. ii. 3. 69. 

Nero. Neronis comiti sciibaeque 
Epist. i. 8. 2. legentis honesta Epist. 
i. 9. 4. Claudi virtute Epist. i. 12. 
26. Neroni bono claroque Epist. ii. 



IKDES OP PROPER NAMES. 



G71 



2. 1. Neroiram major Carm. iv. 14. 
14. Nerones pueros Carm. iv. 4. 
28. Neronibus Carm. iv. 4. 37. 

Nessus. Nessi cruore atro Epod. 
17. 31. 

Nestor Epist. i. 2. 1 1. Nestora 
Pylium Carm. i. 15. 22. 

Nilus tumid us Carm. iii. 3. 48. 
qui fontium celat origines Carm. iv. 

14. 45. 

Niobeus. Niobea proles Carm. iv. 
6.1. 

Niphates. Niphatem rigidum 
Carm. ii. 9. 20. 

Nirens. Carm. iii. 20. 15. Nirea 
Epod. 15. 22. 

Nomentanus Serm. ii. 1. 102. Serm. 
ii. 8. 23, 25, 60. Nomentano ne- 
poti Serm. i. 8. 11. Nomentanum 
Serm. ii. 3. 175. 224. nepotem Serm. 
ii. 1. 22. 

Noricus ensis Carm. i. 16. 9. No- 
rico ense Epod. 17. 71. 

Nothus. Nothi amor Carm. iii. 

15. 11. 

Notus Carm. iv. 5. 9. 

Novius Serm. i. 6. 40. Novium 
absentem dum carperet Maenius 
Serm. i. 3. 21. — Noviorum minoris 
Serm. i. 6. 121. 

Numa PompiUus Epist. i. 6. 27. 
Numae Saliare carmen Epist. ii. 1. 
86. Pompili regnum quietum Carm. 
i. 12. 34. 

Numantia. Numantiae ferae lon- 
ga bella Carm. ii. 12. 1. 

Numicius. ad eum Epist. i. 6. 

Numida Plotius. ad eum Carm. 
i. 36. 

Numida. Numidarum extremi 
agri Carm. iii. 11. 47. 

Numonius Vala. ad eum Epist. i. 
15. 

Nymphce cum Gratiis comites 
Veneris Carm. i. 30. 6. cf. Carm. 
iv. 7. 5. Carm. i. 4. 6. simplices ri- 
dent Carm. ii. 8. 14. Nympharum 
leves cum Satyris chori Carm. i. 1. 
31 cf. Carm. ii. 19. 3. fugientium 
amator (Faunus) Carm. iii. 18. 1. 
Nymphis debit ae coronae Carm. iii. 
27. 30. 



Oceanus belluosus Carm. iv. 14. 
J. circumvagus Epod. 16. 41. Oce- 



ano rubra Carm. l. 35. 32. cum eol 
subest Carm. iv. 5. 40. dissociabili 
Carm. i. 3. 22. 

Octavius optimus Serm. i. 10. 
82. 

Ofellus, rusticus, abnormis, sa- 
piens Serm. ii. 2. 3. Ofelli ib. 133. 
Ofellum novi integris opibus non 
latius usum quam accisis ib. 112. 
Ofello judice ib. 53. 

Olympia magna Epist. i. 1. 50. 

Olympicus. Olympicum pulverem 
Carm. i. 1. 3. 

Olympus. Olympo opaco Carm. 
iii. 4. 52. — Olyrcipum gravi curru 
quaties Carm. i. 12. 58. 

Opimius pauper argenti positi in- 
tus et auri Serm. ii. 3. 142. 

Oppidius (Serv.) dives antiquo 
censu Serm. ii. 3. 168. 

Orbilius Pupillus. Orbilium pla- 
gosum Epist. ii. 1, 71. 

Orbius. Orbi villicus Epist. ii. 2. 
160. 

Orcus non exorabilis auro Epist. 
ii. 2. 178. Orci rapacis fine destinata 
Carm. ii. 18. 30. miserantis nil vic- 
tima Carm. ii. 3. 24. satelles (Cha- 
ron) Carm. ii. 18. 34. Oreo nigro 
Carm.iv. 2. 24. — Orcus pro: Tarta- 
rus Carm. iii. 4. 75. 

Orestes tristis Epist. ad Pis. 124. 
demens Serm. ii. 3. 133. 

Oricum. ad Oricum Carm. iii. 7. 
5. 

Origo. Originis amator Marsaeus 
Serm. i. 2. 55. 

Orion (venator insignis) non cu- 
rat leones aut timidos lyncas agitare 
Carm. ii. 13. 39. tentator integrae 
Dianae Carm. iii. 4. 71. post mor- 
tem inter sidera relatus est : pronus 
Carm. iii. 27. 18. tristis Epod. 10. 
10. nautisinfestus Epod. 15. 7. Ono- 
nis rapidus comes, Notus Carm. L 
28. 21. 

Ornytus. Ornyti Thurini' filius 
Carm. iii. 9. 14. 

Orpheus, sacer interpres deorum 
Epist. ad Pis. 392. Orpheo Threicio 
Carm. i. 24. 13. Orphea vocalem 
silvae temere insecutae Carm. i, 12. 
8. 

Oscus Serm. i. 5. 54. 

Osiris, per sanctum juratus Osi- 
rin Epist. i. 17. 60. 



G72 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Olho (L. Roscius.) Othone con- 
temto Epod. 4. 16. 



Pacorus. Pacori manus Carm. 
iii. 6. 9. 

Pactolus Epod. 15. 20. 
Pactumeius tuus venter Epod. 17. 
50. 

Pacuvius (M.) aufert famam doc- 
ti senis Epist. ii. 1. 56. 

Padus Epod. 16. 28. 

Paetus. Paetam pater appellat 
Strabonem Serm. i. 3. 45. 

Palatums Apollo Epist. i. 3. 17. 
Palatinas arces C. S. 68. 

Palinurus Carm. iii. 4. 28. 

Pallas proximos illi (Jovi) occu- 
pavit honores Carm. i. 12. 20. galeam 
et aegida currusque et rabiem parat 
Carm. i. 15. 11. ab usto Ilio in im- 
piam Ajacis ratem iramvertit Epod. 
10. 13. Palladis ope Carm. i. 6. 15. 
intactae arces Carm. i. 7. 5. aegida 
Carm. iii. 4. 57. 

Panaetius. Panaeti nobiles libri 
Carm. i. 29. 14. 

Panthoides. Panthoiden habent 
Tartara Carm. i. 28. 10. 

Pantilius cimex Serm. i. 10. 78. 

Pantolabus. Pantolabo scurrae 
Serm. i. 8. 1 1. Pantolabum scurrum 
Serm. ii. 1. 22. 

Paphus. Paphi regina Carm. i. 
30. 1. Paphon Carm. hi. 28. 14. 

Parca non mendax Carm. ii. 16. 
39. Parcae iniquae Carm. ii. 6. 9. 
.veraces cecinisse C. S. 25. reditum 
tibi curto subtemine rupere Epod. 
13. 15. Parcis sic placitum Carm. 
ii. 17. 16. 

Paris Epist. i. 2. 10. Paridis bus- 
to Carm. iii. 3. 40. propter amorem 
Epist. i. 2. 6. 

Partus. Pario marmore Carm. i. 
19. 6.*Parios iambos Epist. i. 19.23. 

Parrhasius. Carm. iv. 8. 6. 

Parthus perhorrescit catenas et 
Italum robur Carm. ii. 13. 18. Par- 
thi celerem fugam ib. 17. labentis 
equo vulnera Serm. ii. 1. 15. Par- 
thum animosum versis equis Carm. 
i. 19. 11. quis paveat? Carm. iv. 5. 
25. Parthorum postibus superbis 
derepta signa Carm. iv. 15. 7. se- 



cundum vota Epod. 7. 9. templis 
Epist. i. 18. 56. Parthis horrendus 
juvenis (.Augustus) Serm. ii. 5. 62. 
formidatam Romain Epist, ii. 1. 256. 
ParthosferocesCarm.iii.2. 3. Latio 
imminentes Carm. i. 19. 12. Parthis 
mendacior Epist. ii. 1. 112. 

Patareus Apollo Carm. iii. 4. 64. 

Paulus Maximus. in domum Pauli 
Maximi Carm. iv. 1. 10. 

Paulus (L. JEmilius.) Paulum 
magnae animae prodigum Carm. i. 

12. 38. 

Pausiacus. Pausi.aca tabellaSerm. 
ii. 7. 95. 

Pax C. S. 57. 

Pedamis. Pedana in regione Epist. 
i. 4. 2. 

Pediatia fragilis Serm. i. 8. 39. 

Pedius Poplicola Serm. i. 10. 28. 

Pegasus vix illigatum te triformi 
expediet Chimcera Carm. i. 27. 24. 
ales Carm. iv. 11. 26. 

Peleus Epist. ad Pis. 96. Pelea 
paene Tartaro datum narrat Carm. 
iii. 7. 17. Peleu Epist. ad Pis. 104. 

Pelides. Pelidae nescii cedere gra- 
vem stomachum Carm. i. 6. 6. inter 
Peliden et Atriden lites Epist. i. 2. 
12. 

Pelignus. Pelignas anus Epod. 
17. 60. Pelignis frigoribus Carm. 
hi. 19. 8. 

Pelios Carm. iii. 4. 52. 

Pelops. Pelopis saeva domus 
Carm. i. 6. 8. genitor Carm. i. 28. 7. 
Carm. ii. 13. 37. pater infidus Epod. 
17. 65. 

Penates Caesar repetit Carm. iii. 

13. 3. aversos Carm. iii. 23. 19. pa- 
trios Carm. iii. 27. 49. per Deos ob- 
secro Epist. i. 7. 94. 

Penelope Serm. ii. 5.81. Penelo- 
pae sponsi Epist. i. 2. 23. Penelopen 
Carm. iii. 27. 49. difficilem procis 
Carm. hi. 10. 11. 

Pentheus. Penthei tecta disjecta 
non levi ruina Carm. h. 19. 4. Pen- 
theu rector Thebarum Epist. i. 16. 
73. 

Pergama. Hector tradidit Graiis 
leviora tolli Carm. ii. 4. 12. 

Pergameus. Pergameas domos 
uret Achaicus ignis Carm. i. 15. 
36. 

Perillius. Perilli dictantis, quod 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



G73 



nunquam rescribere possis Serm. 
ii. 3. 75. 

Persce graves Carm. i„ 2. 22. in- 
fidi Carm. iv. 15. 23. Persarum re- 
ge Carm. iii. 9. 4. in Persas aget 
pestem Carm. i. 21. 15. Persia 
gravibus Carm. iii. 5. 4. 

Persicus. Persicos apparatus 
Carm. i. 38. 1. 

Persius hybrida Serm. i. 7. 2. di- 
ves ibid. 4. exponit causam ibid. 22. 
Persi ib. 19. 

Petillius. Petilli Capitolini furtis 
Serm. i. 4. 94. rei causa Serm. i. 10. 
26. 

Petrinum Epist. i. 5. 5. 

Pettius, ad eum, Epod. 11. 

Phaeax Epist. i. 15. 24. 

Phaethon ambustus terret avaras 
spes Carm. iv. 11. 25. 

Phalcmthus. Phalantho Laconi 
regnata rura Carm. ii. 6. 12. 

Phidyle rustica Carm. iii. 23. 
2. 

Philippi (urbs Macedonia?) Epist. 
ii. 2. 49. Philippos Carm. ii. 7. 9. 
Philippis Carm. iii. 4. 26. 

Philippics (nummus aureus), Phi- 
lippos Epist. ii. 1. 234. 

Philippus (L. Marthts) causis 
agendis clarus Epist. i. 7. 46. 64. 78. 
90. Philippi jussu ib. 52. ad aedes 
ib. 89. Philippo ib. 66. 

Philodemus Serm. i. 2. 121. 

Phoccei. Phocaeorum exsecrata 
civitas Epod. 16. 17. 

Phoebus rediens fugat astra Carm. 
iii. 21. 24. mihispiritumdeditCarm. 
iv. 6. 29. me lyra increpuit Carm. 
iv. 15. 1. decorus fulgente arcu ac- 
ceptusque novem Camenis C. S. 
62. Phoebi decus Carm. i. 32. 13. 
citharaCarm. iii. 4. 4. chorus C. S. 
75. Phoebe C. S. 1. metuende certa 
sagitta Carm. i. 12. 24. doctor Ar- 
givae fidicen Thaliae Carm. iv. 6. 
26. Phoebo auctore Carm.iii. 3.66. 

Pholoe Carm. i. 33. 9. fugax Carm. 
ii. 5. 17. Pholoen Carm. iii. 15. 7. 
asperam Carm. i. 33. 7. 

Phrahutes jus imperiumque Cae- 
saris accepit Epist. i. 12. 27. Phra- 
hatem redditum Cyri solio Carm. ii. 
2. 17. 

Phrygia. Phrygiae pinguis Myg- 
donias opes Carm. ii. 12. 22. 



Phrygius lapis Carm. iii. 1. 41. 
Phrygiae sorores ii. 9. 16. 

Phryne libertina me maeerat 
Epod. 14. 16. 

Phryx. PhrygummatronisCarm. 
i. 15. 34. 

Phthius Achilles Carm. iv. 6. 4. 

Phyllis. Phyllidis flavae beati pa- 
rentes Carm. ii. 4. 14. ad earn 
Carm. iv. 11. 

Picenus. Picenis pomis Serm. ii. 
3. 272. Serm. ii. 4. 70. 

Pieris (Melpomene), qua? dulcem 
strepitum aurea? testitudinis tempe- 
ras Carm. iv. 3. IS. Pierides Cala- 
brae Carm. iv. 8. 20. 

Pierius. Pierio antro Carm. iii. 4. 
40. Pieria pellice Carm. iii. 10. 15. 
Pieriis modis Epist. ad Pis. 405. 

Pimpleis. Pimplei dulcis Carm. 
i. 26. 9. 

Pindaricus. Pindarici fontis haus- 
tus Epist. i. 3. 10. Pindarica? Ca- 
mense Carm. iv. 9. 6. 

Pindarus immensus ruit profundo 
ore Carm. iv. 2. 8. Pindarum ib. 1. 

Pindus Carm. i. 12. 6. 

Pirithous. Pirithoo caro vincula 
abrumpere non valet Theseus 
Carm. iv. 7. 28. Pirithoum trecen- 
tse cohibent catenae Carm. iii. 4. 80. 

Pisones Epist. ad Pis. 6. 235. 

Pitholeon. Pitholeonti Rhodio 
Serm. i. 10. 22. 

Placideianus Serm. ii. 7. 97. 

Plancus (L. Munatius). Planco 
consule Carm. iii. 14. 28. ad eum 
Carm. i. 7. 

Plato. Platona Serm. ii. 3. 11. 
doctum Serm. ii. 4. 3. 

Plautinus. Plautinos numeros et 
sales Epist. ad Pis. 270. 

Plautus (M. ,/lccius) ad exemplar 
Epicharmi properare Epist. ii. 1. 58. 
Plauto Epist. ad Pis. 54. 

Pleiades. Pleiadum choro scin- 
dente nubes Carm. iv. 14. 21. 

Plotius Serm. i. 5. 40. Serm. i. 
10. 81. 

Pluto. Plutona illacrimabilem 
places tauris Carm. ii. 14. 7. 

Plutonius. Plutonia domus exiiis 
Carm. i. 4. 17. 

Pana raro antecedentem sceles- 
tum deseruit pede claudo Carm. iii. 
2.32. 



671 



INDEX OF PROrER NAME9. 



Panus navita Bosporum perbor- 
rescit Carm. ii. 13. 15. Pceno supe- 
rante Carm. i. 12. 38. Poenorum im- 
piotumultu Carm. iv. 4. 47. Poonoa 
altera Marts proteret Carm. iii. 5. 
34.— Pcenus utcrque eerviat uni 
Carm. ii. '2. 11. 

Panus. Pceno sanguine Carm. 
ii. 12. 3. 

Polemon mutatus Scrm. ii. 3. 254. 

Pollio (C .lshiius) facta rogum 
canit Scrm. i. 10.42. insigue moestis 
presidium reis ct consulcnti curia; 
Carm. ii. 1. 14. 

Pollux geminue Carm. iii. 29. 64. 
arcee igneas adtigit Carm. iii. 3. 39. 
cum Cafltore Epist ii. 1. 5. 

Polyhymnia Carm. i. 1. 33. 

Poinpeius. Pompeio Grospho 
Epist. i. 12. 22. ad cum Carm. n. 7. 

PompUius. Pompili quietumreg- 
num Carm. i. 12. S4. 

PuitipUius sanguis Epist. ad Pis. 
292. 

Pomponius Scrm. i. 4. 52. 

Punticus. Pontica pinus Carm. i. 
14. 11. 

Pontifex Esquilini vcnefici Epod. 
17. 58. Pontificum ccenis Carm. ii. 
1 i. 2E librae Epist. ii. 1. 26. 

Porcius ridiculus totas simul ab- 
sorbcrc placentas Serm. ii. 8. 23. 

Porphyrion Carm. iii. 4. 54. 

Porsena. Porsenae minacis Etrus- 
ca manus Epod. 16. 4. 

Postumus ad eum Carm. ii. II. 14. 

Praineste Epist. i. 2. 2. frigidum 
Carm. iii. 4. 23. 

Praenestinus durus vindemiator 
Serm. i. 7. 30. 

Preces Thyesteas misit Epod. 5. 
86. 

Priamus Serm. ii. 3. 195. dives 
Carm. i. 10. 14. Priami vetus reg- 
num Carm i. 15. 8. domus Carm. 
iii. 3. 26. basto Carm. iii. 3. 40. au- 
lam choreis laetam Carm. iv. 6. 15. 
populus Serm. ii. 3. 195. fortunam 
Epist. ad Pis. 137. 

Priapus. Priapum Serm. i. 8. 2. 
Priape Epod. 2. 21. 

Prisons Serm. ii. 7. 9. 

Procne Epist. ad Pis. 187. 

Proculeius (C) notus in fratres 
animi paterni Carm. ii. 2. 5. 

Procyon Carm. iii. 29. 8. 



Proetus. Proetura credulum 
Carm. iii. 7. 13. 

Prometheus ferturaddere principi 
limo particulam undique dcsectam 
Carm. i. 16. 13. dulci laborum de- 
cipitur sono Carm. ii. 13. 37. obli- 
gatus aliti Epod. 17. 67. Promethca 
callidum Carm. ii. 18. 35. 

Proserpina imperiosa Serm. ii. 5. 
110. saeva nullum caput fugit 
Carm. i. 28. 20. Proscrpinae fur- 
vac regna Carm. ii. 13. 21. per teg- 
na oro Epod. 17.2. 

Protais egit pecus altos visere 
inontcs Carm. i. 2. 7. scelcratus 
Serm. ii. 3. 71. Protca mutantem 
vultua Epist. i. 1. 90. 

Pudur Carm. i. 21. 6. priscus C. 
S. 57. Scrm. i. 6. 57. 

l'unicus. Punico sanguine Carm. 
iii. 6. 34. Punico lugubrc mutavit 
sagum Epod. 9. 27. Punicis delu- 
bria signa aiKxa Carm. iii. 5. 18. 
Punica bella Epist. ii. 1. 162. 

Pupiiu. Pupi lacrymosa pocmata 
EpisU i. 1. 67. 

P ulcal Scrm. ii. 6. 35. 

Pylades. Pyladcn Serm. ii. 3. 139. 

Pylius. Pylium Nestora Carm. i. 
15. 22. 

Pyrrha, {arnica Horalii). ad earn 
Serm. i. 5. 

Pyrrha (Deucalimiis uxor.) Pyr- 
rhae grave sacculum Carm. i. 2. 6. * 

Pyrrhia vinosa Epist. i. 13. 14. 

Pyrrhus (Epiri rex) Carm. iii. 6. 
35. 

Pyrrhus (puer). ad eum Carm. 
iii. 20. 

Pxjlhagoras. Pythagorae faba 
cognata Serin, ii. 6. 63. renati arca- 
na Epod. 15.21. Pvthagoram Serm. 
ii. 4. 3. 

Pylhagoreus. Pytbagorea somnia 
Epist. ii. 1. 52. 

Pylhia tibicen cantat Epist. ad 
Pis. 414. 

Pythias audax Epist. ad Pia. 
238. 

Pythius incola Carm. i. 12. 6. 



Quinlilius Carm. i. 24. 5. et 12. 
— criticus severus carminum Epist. 
ad Pis. 438. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



675 



Quinclius vid. Hirpinus. 

Quirinus. Marti's equis Acheron- 
ta fugit Carm. iii. 3. 15. post me- 
diam noctem visus Serm. i. 10. 32. 
ossa Epod. 16. i3. vacuum Janum 
Carm. iv. 15. 9. populo Carm. i. 2. 
46. in colle Epist. ii. 2. 6S. 

Quiris. Cluiritis amici dona Epist. 
i. 6. 7. Ctuiritem te quis redonavit 
diis patriis Carm. ii. 7. 3. duiri- 
tium mobilium turba Carm. i. 1. 8. 
cura Carm. iv. 14. 1. CLuiritibus bel- 
licosis Carm. iii. 3. 57. 



Raetis. Alpibus Carm. 4. 4. 17. 

Ramnes celsi praetereunt austera 
poemata Epist. ad Pis. 342. 

Regulus (M. Jlttilius). Reguli 
provida mens Carm. iii. 5. 13. Re- 
gulum insigni Camena referam 
Carm. i. 12.^37. 

Remus. Remi. immerentis curor 
Epod. 7. 19. 

Rhenus. Rheni luteum caput 
Serm. i. 10. 37. Rhenum flumen 
Epist. ad Pis 18. 
Rhode tempestiva. Carm. iii. 19.27. 

Rhodope. Rhodopen lustratam 
pede barbaro Carm. ii. 25. 12. 

Rhodos incolumi pulchra facit 
Epist. i. 11. 17. absens laudatur 
ibid. 21. Rhodon claram Carm. i. 
7.1. 

Rhoetus Carm. iii. 4. 55. Rhoe- 
tum retorsisti leonis unguibus 
Carm. ii. 19. 23. Rhoetos immanes 
pepulit Carm. iv. 14. 15. — Rhoetis 
sub Alpibus Carm. iv. 4. 17. 

Rodanus. Rodani potor Carm. 
ii. 20. 20. 

Roma C. S. 37. feroxCarm. iii. 3. 
44. suis ipsa viribus ruit Epod. 16. 2. 
regia Epist. i. 7. 44. omnis Epist. i. 
16. 18. potens Epist. ii. 1. 61. Ro- 
mae Serm. ii. 159. Serm. ii. 6. 23. 
Serm. ii. 7. 13. beatae fumum 
mirari Carm. iii. 29. 11. 12. domi- 
nae Carm. iv. 14. 44. principis ur- 
bium Carm. iv. 3. 13. amem Tibur 
Epist. i. 8. 12. declamas Epist. i. 2. 
2. erat rhetor consulto Epist. ii. 2. 
87. erit carus Epist i. 20. 10. dulce 
fuit reclusa mane domo vigilare 
Epist. ii. 1. 103. me censea scribere 



poemata Epist. ii. 2. 65. nutriri con- 
tigit mihi Epist. ii. 2. 41. rua optas 
Serm. ii. 7. 28. Samos iaudetur 
Epist. i. 11. 21. inter Romam et 
Ilion saeviat longus pontus Carm. 
iii. 3. 38. portare puerum ausus est 
Serm. i. 6. 76. Tibure amem Epist. 
i. 8. 12. me trahunt invisa negotia 
Epist. i. 14. 17. forinidatam Parthis 
Epist. ii. 1. 256. Roma, urbe inco- 
lumi Carm. iii. 5. 12. nil majus po- 
tes visere C. S. 11. 12. magna 
egressum Serm. i. 5. 1. 

Romanus Serm. ii. 4. 10. Epist. 
ad Pis. 54. superbus Epod. 7. 6. 
foeminae emancipatus Epod. 9. 1 1, 
12. populus Epist. i. 1. 70. Romano 
Serm. ii. 1. 37. Romane Carm. iii. 
6. 2. Serm. i. 4. 85. Romanos agunt 
acerba fata Epod. 7. 17. — Romana 
pubes crevit Carm. iv. 4. 46. legio 
Serm. i. 6. 48. militia fatigat Serm. 
ii. 2. 10, 11. res Epist. i. 12. 25, ju- 
ventus pravi docilis Serm. ii. 5. 52. 
Ilia clarior vigui Carm. iii. 9. 8. in 
ora venturus Epist. i. 3. 9. Roma- 
nae lyrae fidicen Carm. iv. 3. 23. 
Romanam rem C. S. 66. Romano 
habitu Serm. ii. 7. 54. Romani 
equites Epist. ad Pis. 113. pueri 
ibid. 325. scriptores Epist. ii. 29. 
30. Romanis poetis Epist. ad Pis. 
264. vatibus aedem vacuam spec- 
temus Epist. ii. 2. 94. viris opus so- 
lenne Epist. i. 18.49. 

Romulus Epist. ii. 1. 5. Romuli 
praescriptum Carm. ii. 15. 10, 11. 
meritis tacitumitas obstaret Carm. 
iv. 8. 22, 24. Romulum Carm. i. 
12. 33. 

Romulus (adj.). Romulae gen- 
tis custos Carm. iv. 5. 1, 2. genti 
rem prolemque date C. S. 47. 

Roscius. P«.oscia lex Epist. i. 1. 
62. 

Roscius (Q.) doctus Epist. ii. 1. 
82. 

Rubi. Rubos Serm. i. 5. 94. 

RujUlus pastillos olet Serm. i. 2. 
27. Serm. i. 4. 92. 

RupUius Rex (P.) proscriptua 
Serm. i. 7. 1. 

Ruso ( Octavius) Rusonem debitor 
aeris fugit Serm. i. 3. 86. 

Rutuba. Rutubae Fulvique pro- 
elia Serm. ii. 8. 96. 



60 



676 



INDEX OF PROPER NAME?. 



Sabaea. Sabaeae regibus Carm. 
i. 29. 3. 

Sabellus Epist. i. 16. 49. Sabellis 
pulsis Serm. ii. 1. 36. — Sabella 
anus Serm. i. 9. 29, 30. carmina 
Epod. 17. 28. Sabellis ligonibus 
Carm. iii. 6. 38. 

Sabinus. Sabinis rigidis Epist. ii. 

1. 25. — Sabina dicta Cairn, i. 9. 8. 
silva Carm. i. 22. 9. mulier Epod. 

2. 41. vallis Carm. iii. 1 . 47. Sabino 
agro Serm. ii. 7. 118. Sabinos 
(montes) in arduos tollorCarm. iii. 
4. 21. 22. Sabinum (sc. vinum] vile 
Carm. i. 20. 1. coelum Epist. i. 1. 
77. Sabinis (sc. ag is) Carm. ii. 18. 
14. 

Sabinus (amicus Horalii.) Sabinum 
Epist. i. 5. 27. 

Sagana Epod. 5. 26. Serm. i. 8. 
25. 

Salaminius Teucer Carm. i. 15. 
23. 

Salamis. Salamina Teucer cum 
fugeret Carm. i. 7. 21. ambiguam 
tellure novam futuram promisit 
Apollo ib. 29. 

Salernum Epist. i. 15. 1. 

Saliarti. Saliare Numae carmen 
Epist. ii. 1. 86. Saliaribus dapibus 
Carm. i. 37. 2. 

Salii. neu morem in Saliiim sit 
requies pedum Cium. i. 36. 12. in 
morem Saliiim ter quatient candido 
pede humum Carm. iv. 1. 28. 

Sallustius (C. Crispus) Serm. i. 
2. 48. ad eum Carm. ii. 2. 

Samius. Samio Bathyllo Epod. 
14. 9. 

Samnites Epist. ii. 2. 9$ 

Samos concinna Epist. i. 11.2. 
Romae laudetur ib. 21. 

Sapientia Epist. i. 3. 27. 

Sappho mascula pede Archilochi 
Musam temperat Epist. i. 19. 28. 
querentem Aeoliia fidibus de puel- 
lis popularibus Carm. ii. 13. 24. 

Sardes Croesi regia Epist. i. 11. 2. 

Sardinia. Sardiniae feracis opi- 
mas segetes Carm. i. 31. 4. 

Sardns Tigellius Serm. i. 3. 3. 

Sarmentus. Sarmenti scurrae 
Serm. i. 5. 52. 



Satureianus Saturieiano caballo 
Serm. i. 6. 59. 

Saturnalia Serm. ii. 3. 4, 5. 

Satumius numerus Epist. i. 1. 
158. 

Saturmis. Saturni veteris do- 
mus Carm. ii. 12. 8, 9. Saturno 
impio Carm. ii. 17. 22, 23. orte 
Carm. i. 12. 50. 

Satyri capripedi Carm. ii. 19. 4. 
protervi Epist. ad Pis. 233. dicaces 
ib. 225. Satyrorum scriptor Epist. 
ii. 3. 235. Satyris adsenpsit Liber 
sanos poetas Epist. L 19. 4. cum 
Satyris choriNympharum Carm. i. 
1. 31. — Satyrum moveri Epist. ii. 2. 
125. 

Scaeva ad eum Epist. i. 1 7. 

Scaeva (homo prodigus). Scae- 
vae nepoti Serm. ii. 1. 53. 

Scamander. Scamandri parvi fri- 
gida flumina Epod. 13. 14. 

Scauri. Scauros insigni Camena 
referam Carm. i. 12. 37. 

Scipiades. Scipiadae virtus Serm, 
ii. 1. 72. 

Scopas Carm. iv. 8. 6. 

Scorpius formidolosus Carm. ii. 
17. 17. 

Scylla Epist. ad Pis. 145. 

Scytha bellicosus Carm. ii. 11. 1. 
profugus Carm. iv. 14. 42. cf. 
Carm. i. 35. 9. Scythen gelidum 
Carm. iv. 5. 25. Scythae arcu laxo 
campis meditantur cedere Carm. 
iii. 8. 23, 24. campestres Carm. iii. 
24. 9. superbi petunt responsa C. S. 

Sythicus amnis Carm. iii. 4. 36. 

Sectanus Serm. i. 4. 112. 

Semele. Semeles Thebanae puer 
Carm. i. 19. 2. 

Semeleius Thyoneus Carm. i. 17. 
22. 

Senecta instans Carm. ii. 14. 3. 
tarda Serm. ii. 1. 57. tranquilla 
Serm. ii. 2. 88. 

Septembribus horis Epist. i. 16. 
16. 

Septicius Epist. i. 5. 26. 

Septimius (T.) Epist. i. 9. 1. Sep- 
timium Epist. i. 5. 26. ad eum 
Carm. ii. 6. 

Seres Carm. iii. 29. 27. Carm. iv, 
15. 23. Seras subjectos Orientis oria, 
Carm. i. 12. 55. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES, 



Sericus. Sericag sagittas Carm. 
i. 29. 9. 

Servius Serm. i. 10. 86. 

Seztilis Epist. i. 7. 2. Epist. i. 11. 
19. 

Sextius (L.) ad eum Carm. i. 4. 

Sibyllinus. Sibyllini versus C. 
S. 5. 

Sicanus. Sicana AetnaEpod. 17. 
32. 33. 

Siculus. Sicula unda Carm. iii. 
4. 28. cf. Carm. iv. 4. 44. Siculum 
mare Carm. ii. 12. 1. Siculi Epi- 
charmi Epist ii. 1. 58. poetae 
(Empedoclis) Epist. ad Pis. 463. ty- 
ranni Epist. i. 2. 58. Siculae dapes 
Carm. iii. 1. 18. vaccae Carm. ii. 
16. 33 34. Siculis fructibus Epist. 
i. 12. 1. 

Sidonius. Sidonio astro Epist. i. 
10. 26.SidoniinautaeEpod. 16.61. 

Silenus custos famulusque dei 
alumni Epist. ad Pis. 239. 

Silvanus. Silvani horridi dumeta 
Carm. iii. 29. 23. Silvanum piabant 
lacte Epist. ii. 1. 143. Si lvane, tu- 
tor finium Epod. 2. 22. 

Simo Epist. ii. 3. 238. 

Simois lubricus Epod. 13. 14. 

Sinuessanus. Sinuessanum Petri- 
num Epist. i. 5. 5. 

Sirenes. desidia Siren Serm. ii. 3. 
14. Sirenum voces Epist. i. 2. 23. 

Sisenna Serm. i. 7. 8. 

Sisyphus (Aeoli films) damnatus 
longi laboris Carm. ii. 14. 20. optat 
supremo collocare in monte saxum 
Epod. 17. 63. vafer Serm. ii. 3. 21. 

Sisyphus (nanus Antonii) aborti- 
vus Serm. i. 3. 47. 

Sithonii. Sithoniis monet levis 
Evius Carm. i. 18. 9. — Sithonia nive 
Carm. iii. 26. 10. 

Smyrna Epist i. 11. 3. 

Socraticus. Socraticam domum 
Carm. i. 29. 14. Socraticae chartae 
Epist. ad Pis. 310. Socraticis ser- 
monibus Carm. iii. 21. 9. 

Sol Oceano subest Carm. iv. 5. 
40. Solis ortus ab Hesperio cubili 
Carm. iv. 15. 16. 

Somnus facilis Carm. ii. 11. 8. le- 
nis Carm. ii. 1.21. 

Sophocles Epist ii. 1. 163. 

Soracte alta nive candidum Carm. 
19.2. 



677 

Sosii fratres. Sosiorum pumice 
Epist i. 20. 2. Sosiis Epist. ad Pis. 
345. 

Spartacus a.cerEpod.16. 5. Spar- 
tacum vagantem Carm. iii. 14. 19. 

Spes Carm.i. 35.21. 

Staberius Serm. ii. 3. 84. 89. 

Stertinius Serm. ii. 3. 33. sapien- 
tum octavus ib. 296. 

Stesichoims. Stesichori graves Ca- 
menae Carm. iv. 9. 8. 

Sthenelus sciens pugnas Carm. i. 
15. 24. non solus pugnavit Musis 
dicenda prcelia Carm. iv. 9. 20. 

Stoicus. Stoici libelli Epod. 8. 5. 

Stygius. Stygia unda Carm. ii. 
20. 8. Stygiis fluctibus Carm. iv. 
8.25. 

Styx Carm. i. 34. 10. 

Suadela Epist. i. 6. 38. 

Suburanus. Suburanae canes E- 
pod. 5. 58. 

Sulcius Serm. i. 4. 65. 

Sulla (L. Cornelius). Suite gener 
Serm. i. 2. 64. 

Sulpicius. Sulpiciis horreis Carm. 
iv. 12. 18. 

Surrentwm amcenum Epist. i. 17. 
52. 

Sun-entinus. Surrentina vina 
Serm. ii. 4. 55. 

Sybaris Carm. i. 8. 2. 

Sygambri feroces Carm. iv. 2. 36. 
caede gaudentes Carm. iv. 14. 51. 

Sylvanus tutor finium Epod. 2. 22. 
Sylvanum lacte piabant Epist. ii. 1. 
143. 

Syrtes asstuosas Carm. i. 22. 5. 
barbaras Carm. ii. 6. 3. Gaetulas 
Carm. ii. 20. 15. exercitatas Noto 
Epod. 9. 31. 

Syrus. Syra merce Carm. i. 31. 
12. S; rio malobathro Carm. ii. 7. 8. 

Syrus (vulgare apudComicos ser- 
vi nomen) Serm. i. 6. 38. 

Syrus (gladiator) Serm. ii. 6. 44. 



Toznarus. Tamari invisi horrida 
sedes Carm. i. 34. 10. 

Tanais (fluvius) discors Carm. 
iii. 29.28. Tanain Carm.iv. 15. 24. 

Tanais (spado quidam) Serm. i. 
1. 105. 

Tantalus a labris fugientia captat 



678 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



flumina sitiens Serm. i. 1. 68. egens 
semper benignac dapis Epod. 17. 
66. Tantali genus Carm. ii. 18. 37. 
Tantalum superbum ibid. 

Tarentimis. Tarentino veneno 
Epist. ii. 1. 107. 

Tarentum ad finem Italia; situm 
Serm. i. 6. 105. Lacedaemouium 
Carm. iii. 5. 56. molle Serm. ii. 4. 
34. imbelle Epist. i. 7. 45. Tarenti 
sacri custo3 Neptunus Carm. i. 28. 
29. 

Tarpa (Sp.JUetius). Meti judicis 
aures Epist. ad Pis. 387. Tarpa 
judice Serm. i. 10. 33. 

Tarquinius Supo-bus, regno pul- 
sus Serm. i. 6. 13. Tarquinii Su- 
perbi fusees Carm. i. 12. 35. 

Tartarus. Tartaro Carm. iii. 7. 
17. Tartara habent Panthoiden 
Carm. i. 23. 10. 

Taurus {T. Statilius) Epist. i. 5.4. 

Teanum Epist. i. 1. 86. 

TecmesscB. Tecmessae captivae 
forma movit dominum Carm. ii. 4. 
6. 

Teius. Teium Anacreontem E- 
pod. 14. 10. Teia fide Carm. i. 17. 
18. 

Telamon. TelamonenatusCarm. 
ii. 4. 5. vid. Ajax. 

Telegonus. Telegoni parricidae 
juga Carm. iii. 29. 8. 

Telemachus proles patientisUlys- 
Bei Epist. i. 7. 40. 

Telcphus (Herculis ex Auge fi- 
lms, Teuthrantis patris adoptivi in 
Mysise regno successor) pauper et 
exsul Epist. ad Pis. 96. movit ne- 
potem Nereium Epod. 17. 8. 

Telep'ius (juvems Graecus). Te- 
lephi cervix rosea Carm. i. 13. 1. 
Telephum occupavit lasciva puella 
Carm. iv. 11.23. 

Tellus (Terra) injecta monstris 
suis dolet Carm. iii. 4. 73. spicea 
donet corona Cererem C. S. 29. 
Telluris juvenes Carm. ii. 12. 7. 

Tempe Thessala Carm. i. 7. 4. 
agitata Zephyris Carm. iii. 1. 24. tol- 
lite Iaudibus Carm. i. 21. 9. 

Tempestas. Tempestatibus agna 
immolabitur Epod. 10. 24. 

Terentius (P.) arte vin cere dicitur 
Epist. ii. 1.59. Terenti fabula Serm. 
I 2, 20. 2 



Teridates. Teridaten quid terreat 
Carm. i. 26. 5. 

Tenninalis. Terminalibus festia 
Epod. 2. 59. 

Terminus C. S. 27. 

Terra vid. Tellus. 

Teucer Salamina patremque cum 
fugeret Carm. i. 7. 21. Salaminius 
Carm. i. 15.23. primusve tela Cy- 
donio direxit arcu Carm. iv. 9. 17. 
Teucrum non violavit (*ijax) Serm. 
ii. 3. 204. Teucro duce et auspice 
nil desperandum Carm. i. 7. 27. 

Teucer. Teucro pulvere Carm. 
iv. 6. 12. 

Thalia. Argivae fidicen doctor 
Phcebe Carm. iv. 6. 25. 

Thaliarchus ad eum Carm. i. 9. 

Thebcc Echioniae Carm. iv. 4. 64. 
Thebarum rector Epist. i. 16. 74. 
Thebas Baccho insignes Carm. i. 
7. 3. Thebis Serm. ii. 5. 84. EpisL 
ii. 1. 213. Epist. ad Pis. 218. 

Thebamis. Thebanae Semeles 
puer Carm. i. 19. 2. arcis conditor 
Epist. ad Pis. 394. Thebanos mo- 
dos Epist. i. 3. 13. 

Theoninus. Theonino dente E- 
pist. i. 18. 82. 

Theseus non valet caro Pirithoo 
Lethea vincula abrumpere Carm. 
iv. 7. 27. 

Thespis Epist ii. 1. 163. ignotum 
tragicae genus invenisse Camenae 
dicitur et plaustris vexisse poemata 
Epist. ad Pis. 276. 

Thessalus. Thessala Tempe 
Carm. i. 7. 4. Thessalo victore 
Carm. ii. 4. 10. Thessala voce 
Epod. 5.45. ThessalosignesCarm. 
i. 10. 15. Thessala portenta Epist. 
ii. 2. 209. Thessalis venenis Carm. 
i. 27.21. 

Thetis. Thetidis marinae Alius 
Carm. i. 8. 14. Carm. iv. 6. 6. The- 
tide Dea natus Epod. 13. 12. 

Thraca, Thrace (Thracia) Epist. 
i. 16. 13. Epist. i. 3. 3. bello furiosa 
Carm. ii. 16. 5. Thracen candidam 
niveCarm. iii. 25. 10, 11. 

Thracius. Thraciae animre lintea 
impellunt Carm. iv. 12. 2. Thracio 
vento bacchante Carm. i. 25. 11. 

Thrax Epist. i. 18. 36. Thracum 
est pugnare scyphis Carm. i. 27. 1, 

impia pectora mollire Epod. 5 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



679 



13, 14,— Thrax Gallina Serm. ii. 
6.44. 

Threicius. Threicio Aquilone 
Epod. 13. 3. Orpheo Carm. i. 24. 
13. 
Thressa Chloe Carm. iii. 9. 9. 
Thurinus. Thurini Ornyti Carm. 
iii. 9. 14, 

Thyestes. Thyestae coana Epist. 
ad Pis. 91. Thyesten irae gravi ex- 
itio stravere Carm. L 16. 17. 

Thyesteus. Thyesteas preces E- 
pod. 5. 86. 

Tkyias concita tympano Carm. 
iii. 15. 10. Thyiadas pervicaces 
Carm. ii. 19. 9. 

Thynus. Thyna merce Carm. iii. 
7. 3. 

Thyoneus. Semeleius cum Marte 
non confundet prcelia Carm. i. 17. 
23. 

Tiberinus lupus Serm. ii. 2. 31. 
Tiberino flumine Epist. i. 11. 4. 
Tiberinis undis Carm. iii. 12. 6. 

Ti&emflavus Carm. iii. 3. 18. per 
brumam Epist. i. 11. 19. Tiberim 
Carm. i. 29. 12. Serm. i. 9. 18. Serm. 
ii. 1. 8.flavumCarm. i. 2. 13. Carm. 
i. 8. 8. rcverti quis neget? Carm. 
i. 29. 12. in Tiberi stabit ib. 292. 
Tiberius. Tiberi Serm. ii. 3. 173. 
Tibullus vid. Mbius Tibullus. 
Tibur Argeo colono positum 
Carm. ii. 6. 5. supinum Carm. iii. 
4. 23. udum Carm. iii. 29. 6. fertile 
Carm iv. 3. 10. vacuum Epist. i. 7. 
45. Romae amem Epist. i. 8. 12. 
Tiburis mite solum Carm. i. 18. 2. 
uvidi ripas Carm. iv. 2. 31. tui den- 
sa umbra Carm. i. 7. 21. Tibure 
Romam amem Epist. i. 81 12. naturn 
puerum Epist. ii. 2. 3. 

Tiburs. Tiburte via Serm. i. 6. 
10S. Tiburtia Picenis pomis ce- 
dent Serm. ii. 4. 70. 

Tigellius Sardus Serm. i. 3. 3. 
Tigelli cantoris morte Serm. i. 2. 3. 
Hermogenis Serm. i. 4. 72. Serm. 
i. 10. 80. Tigelli Serm. i. 10. 90. 
Tigris rapidus Carm. iv. 14. 46. 
Tillius Serm. i. 6. 24. et 107. 
Timagencs. Timagenis aemula 
lingua Epist. i. 19. 15. 

Timor Carm iii. 16. 15. Carm. iii. 
1. 37. 
Tirestias Serm. ii. 5. 1. 



Tisiphone. Tisiphonen vocat al- 
tera ssevam Serm. i. 8. 34. 

Titanes, Titanas impios Carm. 
iii. 4. 43. 

Tithonus remotus in auras C arm. 
i. 28. 8. Tithonum longa minuit se- 
nectus Carm. ii. 16. 30. 

Titius Romana venturus in ora 
Epist. i. 3. 9. 

Tityos invito vultu risit Carm. iii. 
11. 21. raptor Carm. iv. 6. 2. Tityi 
incontinentis jecur Carm. iii. 4. 77. 
Tityon unda compescat Carm. iL 
14.8. 

Torquatus (L. Manlius). Tor- 
quate Epist i. 5. 2. Torquato con- 
sule Epod. 12. 6. ad eum Carm. iv. 
7. 

Trausius junior Serm. i. 2. 99. 
Trebatius Testa ( C.) Serm. ii. 1. 4. 
Trebonius. Treboni fama non 
est bella Serm. i. 4. 1 14. 

Triquetrus. Triquetra praedia 
Serm. ii. 6. 5. 

Triumphus. Io Triumphe Epod. 
9. 21. cf. Carm. iv. 2. 49. 

Triumviralis. Triumviralibus fla- 
gellis Epod. 4. 11. 

Trivicum. Trivici villa Serm. i. 
5. 79. 

Troes. Troas male feriatos Carm. 
iv. 6. 15. 

Troja. Trojae Serm. ii. 5. 18. la- 
crimosa funera Carm. i. 8. 14. ini- 
qua castra Carm. i. 10. 15. avita? 
tecta Carm. iii. 3. 60. alite lugubri 
fortuna tristi clade iterabitur Carm. 
iii. 3. 61. altae victor Achilles Carm. 
iv. 6. 3. domitor Epist. i. 2. 19. cap- 
tae posttempora Epist. ad Pis. 141. 
Trojam canemus Carm. iv. 15. 13. 
ardentem C. S. 41. Troja capta 
Serm. ii. 3. 191. de Trojae excidio 
Nerei vaticinium Carm. i. 15. 

Trojanus. Trojanum bellum E- 
pist. ad Pis. 147. Trojani belli 
scriptorem Epist. i. 2. 1. Trojana 
tempora Carm. i. 28. 11. 

Troilus. Troilon impubemCarm. 
ii. 9. 15. 

Troius. Troia sacerdos Carm. 
iii. 3. 32. 

Tullius (Serv.) Tulli ante potes- 
tatem Serm. i. 6. 9. 

Tullius Hostilius dives Carm. iv. 
7.15, 



INDEX OP PROPER NAMES. 



Tullus. Tullo consule Carm. iiL 
8. 12. 

Turbo. Turbonis in armis Serm. 
ii. 3. 310. 

Turlus Serm. ii. 1. 49. 

Tusculum superni villa candens 
Epod. 1. 29. 

Tuscus (vicus Romae). Tuscivici 
turba impia Serm. ii. 3. 228. 

Tuscus (amnis) Serm. ii. 2. 33. 
alveus Carm. iii. 7. 28. Tuscum 
mare Epist. ii. 1. 202. Tuscisaequor- 
ibus Carm. iv. 4. 54. 

Tydides atrox Carm. i. 15. 28. 
Tydiden Palladis ope superis parem 
Carm. i. 6. 16. 

Tyndaridcc clarum sidus ab infi- 
mis quassas eripiunt sequoribus ra- 
tes Carm. iv. 8. 31. Tyndaridarum 
fortissima Serm. i. 1. 100. 

Tyndaris. ad earn Carm. i. 17. 

Typhaus Carm. iii. 4. 53. 

Tyrrhenus parens non te Penelo- 
pen difficilcm procis genuit Carm. 
iii. 10. ] 1. Tyrrhena regum proge- 
nies Carm. iii. 29. 1. Tyrrhenum 
mare Carm. i. 11. 6. Carm. iii. 24. 
4. aequorCarm.iv. 15. 3. Tyrrhena 
sigilla Epist. ii. 2. ISO. 

Tyrtaus mares animos in Martia 
bella versibus exacuit Epist. ad Pis. 
402. 



Vlubrcz Epist. i. 1 1. 30. 

TJlyxes quartcc fit partis Serm. ii. 
5. 100. Ulyxei duplicis cursus per 
mare Carm. i. 6. 7. laboriosa cohors 
Epod. 16. 62. laboriosi remiges E- 
pod. 17. 16. Ithacensis remigium 
vitiosum Epist. i. 6. 63. patientis 
proles Telemachus Epist. i. 7. 40. 
Ulyxem inclytum Serm. ii. 3. 197. 
ipsum ille (Jijax) non violavit ib. 
204. utile exemplar virtus nobis 
roposuit (Homerus) Epist. i. 2. 18. 

Umber aper Serm. ii. 4. 40. 
Umbrenus. Umbreni sub nomine 
Serm. ii. 2. 133. 

Ummidius Serm. i. 1. 95. 

Ustica. Usticae cubantis saxa le- 
via Carm. i. 17. 11. 
Utica Epist. i. 20. 13. 



Vacuna. Vacunae fanum putre 
Epist. i. 10. 49. 

Veda vid. Numonius. 
Valerius vid. Lccvinus. 
Valoius Rufus (T.) Serm. i. 10. 
82. ad eum Carm. ii. 9. 
Varia Epist. i. 14. 3. 
Varius (L.) Serm. i. 5. 40. acer 
forte epos ducit Serm. i. 10. 44. 
probet haec Serm. i. 10. 81. ab Au- 
gusto liberaliter habitus est Epist. ii. 
1. 247. Vario Epist. ad Pis. 55. 
Varium Serm. i. 9. 23. 

Varius cum Maecenate convivio 
Nasidieni interfuit Serm. ii. 8. 21 

Varro (P. Terentius) Serm. i. 10. 
46. 

Varus, ad eum Carm. i. 18. 
Vaticanus. Vaticani montis ima- 
go Carm. i. 20. 7. 

Veia exhauriebat humum ligoni- 
bus Epod. 5. 29. 

Veianius latet abditus agro Epist. 
i. 1. 4. 

Veiens. Veientis arvi emtor Epist. 
ii. 2. 167. 

Veientanus. Veientanum vinurn 
Serm. ii. 3. 143. 

Velabrum Serm. ii. 3. 229 
Velia Epist. i. 15. 1. 
Velina Epist i. 6. 52. 
Venafranus. Venafranae olivae 
bacca Serm. ii. 4. 69. Venafranoa 
agros Carm. iii. 5. 55. 

Venafrum. Venafri cella Serm. 
ii. 8. 45. Venafro viridi bacca certat 
Carm. ii. 6. 16. 

Venus Carm. i. 13. 15. Carm. iii. 
16. 6. Cytherea ducit choros Carm. 
i. 4. 5. decens Carm. i. 18. 6. in me 
tota ruens Cyprum deseruit Carm. 
i. 19. 9. ipsa hoc ridet Carm. ii. 8. 
13. dum favet Carm. iii. 11. 50. quo 
fugit? Carm. iv. 13. 17. perfidum 
ridens Carm. 27. 67. bene numma- 
tum decorat Epist. i. 6. 38. Veneris 
praesidio ferox Carm. i. 15. 13. so- 
dali Carm. iii. 18. 6. marinaelaevum 
latus Carm. iii. 26. 5. gratae vocibus 
Carm. iv. 6. 21. muneribus potens 
Carm. iv. 10. 1. marinae mensem 
Aprilem Carm. iv. 11. 15. almae 
progeniem Carm. iv. 15. 32. clarus 
sanguis C. S. 50. Veneri sic visum 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



682 



Carm. i. 33. 10. ingratam superbiam 
pone Carm. iii. 10. 9. Venerem ca- 
nebatCarm. i. 32. 9. parabilem fa- 
cilemque Serm. i. 2. 119. Venus 
intermissa bella moves Carm. iv. 1. 
1. regina Gnidi Paphique Carm. i. 
30. 1. laeta Carm. iii. 21. 21.— Ve- 
nus damnosa Epist. i. 18. 21. si 
prisca redit Carm. iii. 9. 17. Vene- 
ris studiosajuventus Serm. ii. 5. 80. 
Veneri intentum Serm. i. 5. 84. Ve- 
nerem destinat Carm. iii. 13. 5. in 
Venerem tauri mentis Carm. ii. 5. 
4. Venerem incertam rapientes 
Serm. i. 3. 109. eripuere anni Epist. 
ii. 2. 56. Venere concessa uti Serm. 
i. 4. 113. abslinuit puer Epist. ad 
Pis. 414 — pro : puella .- Venus qua? 
te cunque domat Carm. i. 27. 14. 
melior Carm.i. 13.33. — Venus pro: 
venustas, suavitas : Venas haec or- 
dinis erit Epist. ad Pis. 42. fabula 
nullius Veneris Epist. ad Pis. 320. 
— de bono talorum jactatu Carm. ii. 
7.25. 

Venusinus colonos Serm.ii. 1. 35. 
Venusinae silvae plectantur Carm. 
i. 28. 26. 

Ver. Veris comites Carm. iv 12. 
1. Ver poterit Aestas interitura 
Carm. iv. 7. 10. 

Veritas nuda Carm. i. 24. 7. 

Vertumnus Serm. ii. 7. 14. Epist. 

I. 20. 1. 

Vesperus Carm. ii. 9. 10. Carm. 
iii. 19. 26. 

Vesta. Vestae templa Carm. i. 2. 
16. intra penetralia Epist. ii. 2. 114. 
ad Vestae ventum erat Serm. i. 9. 
35. Vestae aeternae Carm. iii. 5. 

II. Vestam minus audientem car- 
mina fatigent prece sanctae Virgi- 
nes Carm.i. 2. 28. 

Vibidius Serm. ii. 8. 22. 33.40. 80. 

Victoria laeta Serm. i. 1. 8. velox 
Epist. i. 18. 64. 

Villius in Fausta Sullae gener 
i. 2. 64. 



Vindelici Drusum gerentem bella 
Raetis sub Alpibus videre Carm. iv. 
4. 18. expertes legis Latinae Carm. 
iv. 14 8. 

Vinnius Fronto Jlsella (C.) ad 
eum Epist. i. 13. 

Virgilius Maro (P.) Carm. i. 3. 8. 
Serm. i. 5. 41. 48. Serm. i. 6. 55. ab 
Augusto donatur Serm. ii. 1. 246. 
ei Horatius carmina sua probari 
vult Serm. i. 10. 81. Virgilio molle 
et facetum annuere gaudentes rure 
Camenae Serm. i. 10. 44. 

Virtus Carm. ii. 2. 19. C. S. 58. 
Serm. ii. 3. 13. 95. Epist. i. 2. 17. 

Viscus (Vibms). Viscum Serm. 
i. 9. 22. Viscorum uterque Serm. i. 
10. 83. 

Viscus Thurinus Serm. ii. 8. 20. 

Visellius. Viselli socerum Serm. 
i. 105. 

Volanerius scurra Serm. ii. 7. 15. 

Volcanus dum ardens urit Cyclo- 
pum officinas Carm. i. 4. 8. avidus 
Carm. iii. 4. 58. Vulcanoperveter- 
em culinam delapso Serm. i. 5. 74. 

Voltur. Volturein AppuloCarm. 
iii. 4.9. 

Voluptas emta dolore Epist. i. 2. 
55. corrupta dolore Serm. i. 2. 39. 

Voranus fur Serm. i. 8. 39. 

Vulteius Mena Epist. i. 7. 55. 64. 
Vulteiibid. 91. 



Xanthias Phoceus. ad eum Carm. 
ii. 4. 

Xanthus. Xantho amne Carm. 



Zephyri. Zephyris Epist i. 7. 13. 
agitata Tempe Carm. iii. 1. 24. fri- 
gora mitescunt Carm. iv. 7. 9. 

Zethus (frater Amphionis) Epist 
i. 18. 42. 



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